Swear to be Remembered
by Laces Kai
Summary: A story about a map, it's makers and wandering mischief makers.
1. Prologue

**In 1978…**

"The masterpiece of a map was confiscated in Sirius, James, Remus and Peter's final year and none of them were able to steal it back from a well prepared and suspicious Filch. In any case, their priorities changed in their final months at school, becoming far more serious and focused on the world beyond Hogwarts, where Lord Voldemort was successfully rising to power. All four map's creators would shortly be inducted into the renegade organization headed by Albus Dumbledore, the Order of the Phoenix, and a map of their old school – no matter how ingenious – would no longer be of use to them except as a piece of nostalgia."

-J.K Rowling


	2. Caught

A quill jolted quickly across a piece of floating parchment that trailed along behind a pacing Remus Lupin. The young man was muttering to himself about the ingredients used in creating a befuddlement draught.

"Scurvy grass and sneezewort." Lupin whispered as he anxiously snapped his fingers and pivoted on his heel.

"Hey Moony?" Peter Pettigrew half yawned.

"Hm?" Lupin didn't even spare a glance towards the boy on the nearby bed. Peter was uncomfortably resting his neck against the foot of his bed and letting his head hang upside down. A Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook lay forgotten on his chest, as he focused his attention across the room on a poster.

"Do you think she moves when we're not looking?" Peter was squinting his eyes, as if trying to trick the woman in the poster to move. Lupin finally halted in his incessant pacing, the floating parchment and quill crashing into his back unceremoniously.

"What?" Lupin quickly followed Peter's gaze. Underneath the roaring of a Gryffindor Qudditch flag and crowded by a poster of fighting members of the Harpies was the muggle poster that Sirius insisted upon having on his wall. An attractive young blond woman in a red bathing suit sitting with a brilliant smile recklessly on a muggle vehicle called a motorcycle. Remus had long since suspected Sirius had magically combined two muggle posters into one to create his one perfect image, but the little bit of magic hadn't breathe magical movement into the muggle photographs.

"No. I don't think she moves when we're not looking." Lupin sighed impatiently. Aggravated that his friends were not taking studying for their N.E. seriously enough.

"What was her name again?" Peter rubbed his eyes, sneaking peaks between fingers at the woman hoping for movement.

"I don't know, ask Padfoot, I think she was American…" Lupin rambled for a moment before starring out the window. The sky was pitch black and the young man realized he had been studying for hours in a blissful silence. An oddity since his friends were never quiet for this long.

"An American movie star." Peter agreed as he jerked his body into a sitting position.

"What time is it? Where are Prongs and Padfoot?" Lupin searched the room, making sure he hadn't just missed his friends sneaking in. But never, in the seven years the four friends had bunked together, had James Potter and Sirius Black ever entered a room quietly. Lupin suspected it was part of the reason their fifth bunkmate, a Trevor Dawson had long since moved into another dormitory.

"Just past midnight." Peter shrugged. "Was her name Fawn?"

Lupin shrugged indifferent to what the woman in the poster was named. Instead, he bent down to pick up his discarded notes and quill. Trying to remember if in his studying haze he had forgotten his other two best friends mentioning plans for this evening.

"Farah Fawcett, Wormtail. A bunny, right?" Sirius Black strode into the room, managing to strut while stepping out of his boots. A golden snitch buzzed into the dormitory as James stepped in wielding his tie as a lasso trying unsuccessfully to catch his stolen pet. Lupin tucked his study materials into his trunk not missing the disheveled appearance of his arriving friends.

"James, you weren't wondering around the castle with your shirt like that…" Lupin started softly.

"That's the, you are head boy now James Potter, you must really stop being such a bloody mess voice." Sirius mocked as he outstretched his hand and clutched the flying tie. The golden snitch still scrambled around the room, puttering to a stop when the tie was dropped on the ground as if the magical object sensed it's own untested freedom.

"Padfoot, you know Moony is just doing his duty as a prefect." James laughed as he kicked one of Sirius' discarded boots towards the back of his best mate's head.

"When are you two going to 'fess up to what kind of spell you put on Dumbledore to give you those patches on your cloaks?" Sirius flicked his wand and the stitching on James' head boy badge started undoing. Peter snorted with laughter as he nodded his head.

"Hey!" James yelped slapping his hand against his badge and expertly pulling out his wand and shooting a nonverbal spell at Sirius. The battle was set up immediately, with the lid of Sirius' trunk being thrown up as a shield and James ducking behind his own trunk for protection. The boys fought playfully, shooting spells at each other in a flurry for only a couple of seconds before Lupin cleared his throat loudly. Too many spell spars had resulted in disaster for James and Sirius to not stop when Lupin warned them.

"What were you two doing?" Peter asked innocently as he started changing his wrinkled school shirt with a ratty old concert t-shirt Sirius had given him two Christmas' before.

"Nothing Wormtail." James laughed ducking into his trunk in search of a pair of gray sleep pants.

"Detention then?" Lupin smiled even as he shook his head. Despite James being head boy and the calming effect of Lily Evans on his trouble making ways, it still remained that when Potter and Black were together, trouble was never far behind. Some things would never change.

"Professor Vector didn't think our preparations for the spring equinox feast were sanctioned." James tried to look abashed.

"You two don't seem to be taking studying for your N.E. seriously at all." Lupin sighed trying to be disappointed. As the self appointed scruples of the unscrupulous, Remus had never quite mastered not being amused with his friends mischief. Something about the glint in Sirius' black eyes that burst with merriment or the pure joy in James' voice when explaining their latest caper just refused to be ignored.

"Dumbledore isn't going to ask us for our scores when we join the Order." James replied somberly as he settled into his own bed. All of a sudden, the reality of leaving the comforts of Hogwarts hung in the air tensely. Even without Lupin nagging them to study, or McGonagall reminding them sternly that the world wasn't going to be their playground, the four marauders knew their carefree life as students was coming to a rapid end. A war was mounting outside the castle walls and they were all excited and terrified to answer the call to fight.

"And even if he does, maybe then you might share that fancy spell work that got you that Prefect badge." Sirius joked easily dismissing the tension. He flung himself onto his bed and kicked his feet around until the bedspread was comfortably a mess around his shins.

"Besides, you know we'll study, Moony." James winked across the room.

"If only so we can score higher marks than that sniveling…" Sirius began but didn't finish before James flung a pillow at his jaw.

"I promised Lily we wouldn't keep calling him names." James stated, barely keeping the whine out of his voice.

"I didn't promise Lily anything!" Sirius muttered indignantly.

"And she isn't here." Peter pointed out obviously, fluffing up his pillow.

"What was your detention? Anything new?" Lupin asked expertly avoiding a fight about Lily and Snape, a topic that never ended well even amongst the four best friends.

"New." Sirius snorted, feigning insult. "Like there is anything new left for us to be sentenced to in this place?"

"Trophies." James rolled his eyes at the lack of creativity.

"Professor McGonagall thought the brass could all use one last Black-Potter polishing. Made some bloody joke about how the trophy room might rust once we graduate." Sirius muttered as he flicked his wand enough to get his school robes up on a wall hook.

"Think it might." James chuckled.

"If that's the case, the candle wax might finally build up in the divination class room." Lupin pointed out.

"And the weeds might overtake the class projects in the green house." Peter quipped.

"Have you gents ever thought about how much free labor we've provided this school over the years, we should get special awards to the school for our services." Sirius yawned.

"I've got a couple." James pointed out. Never one for modesty on his achievements, James had three awards compared to Remus and Sirius one award each. Peter was the only member of the marauders never awarded anything. James stretched out his arm and caught the snitch that had settled on fluttering near the poster of Farah Fawcett. He tucked the golden object into a small hole made into the post of his bed.

"If you two had been much longer, I might have had to check on you with the map." Lupin sighed. He rested his head against his pillow, letting his eyelids slowly close over his stinging eyes. A person could only stare at the tiny cramped handwriting of an ancient wizard's personal account of potion making for so long.

"Who's got the map? Anyone fancy a run to the kitchens?" Peter looked hopefully at James, usually the keeper of the marauders magical mischief tools. The lights of the room were suddenly off and Sirius overdramatically pretended to be snoring as the clanking of the bed curtains signaled a hurried attempt to hide. Peter glared at the darkness and rustled around looking for his wand. But Lupin was quicker, lighting his wand and reopening all the closed bed curtains.

"Padfoot? Prongs?" He questioned the dull light in front of him. The theatrics of snoring continued for a few minutes, until Lupin swung his feet over the edge of his bed and firmly stomped his heels against the plush red carpet. Some muffled cursing and then two more sparks of lit wands, and finally the belated addition of Peter's lit wand signaled a meeting of the marauders.

"About the map…." Padfoot started quietly. His foot tapped nervously against one of the posters of his bed, and he swept his hair straight back inefficiently keeping it from his eyes.

"Padfoot lost it." Prongs spat out rapidly, less blaming and more an attempt to just be done with it. He chewed unconsciously on his bottom lip, a guilty trait he only ever exhibited around his closest friends and his mother.

"I did not lose it Prongs! First off you were with me, you git. And second, losing it implies we don't know where it is." Padfoot hissed.

"We've only got a couple of months left of school, we don't really need the map anymore." Wormtail pointed out. "I could get down to the kitchens without it, I just need a look out…"

"If it's not lost, where is it, exactly?" Moony asked again ignoring Peter's fixation with the kitchens. Though it was true, Peter was right. The Marauders hardly needed their map to be marauders and surely they knew the castle well enough to make due for the last months of their formal education.

"Filch's office." Padfoot sighed resigned to explaining himself. The tapping had stopped and he leaned his head back against the wall, twirling his wand between his fingers.

"He confiscated it last week, when we were..." Prongs confirmed. Pulling out a pair of chocolate frogs from under his mattress and throwing one across the room to Wormtail. Peter caught the snack and beamed a thankful smile at James.

"You let the map get confiscated by Filch?" Moony snorted shocked. After all the close calls, the cautious Marauder was surprised that their luck had finally run out.

"He doesn't know what it is." Prongs stated and even in the dull light, everyone could see his smiling at their cleverness. They had created a map that would never reveal itself to the wrong people.

"But last week… were you going to tell us?" He questioned softly, finding it strange that something so important to their existence at Hogwarts had suddenly disappeared and it hadn't been mentioned immediately.

"Of course we were, Moony…" Prongs began cautiously, noticing the hurt tone.

"The map just doesn't seem that important anymore." Padfoot finished carelessly. A soft pop came from somewhere near Sirius head and the young man growled, jerking his head to glare at James.

"Padfoot…" Prongs chided softly. James understood how poorly Remus was taking this news, even if Peter and Sirius were not.

"No, no. Of course, he's right Prongs. The map hardly seems important anymore…" Lupin nodded letting his wand go out, as he slid back down onto his own pillow.

"Moony, we know the rounds well enough by now that we don't need it to go out for the full moon." Peter consoled.

"I know Wormtail." Remus sighed. Remus knew he was being dramatic. The four marauders hardly used the map anymore, unless it was to find the latest girl Sirius had kissed and didn't want to date or to find out what empty classroom James had wandered into with Lily. But he couldn't help the hurt feeling that shocked through him at the discovery that the map was gone and he hadn't even known for a week.

"Look Moony…" James began.

"We'll get it back mate, there is nothing to worry about." Sirius promised, picking up on his cue from James.

"Yes, yes. Of course… I'm just tired, spent too much time studying." Remus yawned on cue.

"That's what studying does, tiresome business. That's why I fell asleep twice." Peter quipped.

"Yes, well, good night." Remus said quickly before shutting his bed curtains. He could hear the whispering, feel the worried glances against the red velvet material engulfing him in darkness. But he didn't care.

Remus Lupin stared at the canopy above his bed, willing himself to believe the map was lost and it didn't matter. He knew the Marauders were leaving Hogwarts soon, and nothing would be the same. Everyday, there was mention about how they would be fighting in a war, not pulling pranks. Everything was going to change except for their friendship at least that's what they kept saying. He swallowed down the anxiety and pressed his eyes shut tightly. It didn't mean anything that James and Sirius had kept this from him, it didn't mean their friendship was going to change, it just couldn't. But even as he started murmuring the ingredients of veritaserum to drift off to sleep the boy knew his dreams would be filled with images of James, Peter, and Sirius walking away from a werewolf.


	3. Collected

Lily Evans had kept her mouth shut about the affairs of the Marauders for a whole six hours. She had pretended not to notice they lacked their usual cheerfulness during breakfast. She had ignored their suspicious whispering and minimal showing off in double charms. She had bit her tongue when Remus had offered her his seat at their table in double potions. Lily had almost convinced herself she had imagined the passive aggressive argument between the boys through lunch and now as she lounged with them during their free period.

Sitting under the ancient willow tree, at the edge of the grounds where most students never wandered. Lily was comfortably lying her head against James outstretched left leg and nestling her bare feet into the robes around Sirius knees. She held the Daily Prophet high above her face, as she tried not to scuff at every other sentence of how the ministry was ignoring the rising anti-muggle behaviors. Peter had climbed up into the tree and had fallen asleep with his charms textbook on his nose. James and Sirius were playing a game of cards trying, an attempt to distract themselves from the brooding Remus. Remus sat with his back slightly turned, seemingly consumed by his potions notes.

It wasn't until the quietest Marauder stood up, grumbling about needing something from the library and departing that Lily dropped the paper. She pushed herself up with her elbows, and blew escaped strands of her ponytail from her face while squinting has her green eyes after Remus until he disappeared.

"What did you boys do?" Lily began casually, still focused on the empty path Remus had taken.

"Nothing." James and Sirius replied instantly and in unison. Lily inhaled sharply and dug her heels into the material of Sirius cloak, before she twisted her torso to stare at both boys. James had the decency to look abashed as he fidgeted with his glasses. Sirius, on the other hand, frowned down at Lily's bare feet in his robes as if deciding on which awful manner to remove them.

"James Potter and Sirius Black, what have you done to Remus?" Lily demanded more sharply, glaring directly at her boyfriend now.

"Now, Lily…" James frowned at her, releasing his glasses and gaining back his air of confidence at her anger. If there was anything James knew how to react to, it was Lily Evans anger.

"I will give you both detention if you don't tell me immediately." Lily threatened, her right hand lifting to wag at the amused faces in front of her.

"Oh, a detention Prongs. Terrifying… How many does that make for us?" Sirius mocked trembling.

"I'll make you write lines!" Lily tilted her chin down and her brilliant red hair glimmered, distracting James for the slightest second. "At least 500 times. We, Sirius Black and James Potter, will stop acting like gits to the only decent mate we have ever made."

"Oi, I can be decent!" Peter yelped as he dropped his charms textbook onto Sirius head.

"You're asleep in a tree Wormtail." James sighed as if that settled the manner of his decency.

"And in a minute, you're going to be swimming in the lake looking for your charms text book." Sirius muttered darkly. James leaned over and snatched the textbook, before Sirius could carry out his threat. Sirius glared at his friend but released the book. Neither boy seemed too interested in the infuriated red head in front of them.

"I am going to give you thirty seconds to answer me, before it's a 1,000 times…" Lily clicked her tongue impatiently.

"See here, Lily you can't keep giving me detentions when you're cross at me…" James began trying to reason with her.

"This would be the fourth detention you give the head boy Lily, it is starting to get suspicious." Sirius nodded as he stifled a yawn.

"Fine. Just a detention for Sirius then." Lily shrugged, trying not to smile at their indignant looks. For all their infamy, Potter and Black really were very easy to intimidate.

"Evans!" Sirius snapped.

"You four have been fighting all morning." Lily glared at Sirius.

"Not fighting, love," James smiled indulgently at her.

"Yeah, we don't fight. Moony is a bit moody with us. Well really with Prongs and Padfoot…" Peter explained.

James had leaned forward and caught Lily around the shoulders with his hands. Before she could ask any more questions, or up the number of lines she threatened Sirius with, the boy pressed his lips against her mouth. She scrunched up her nose and motioned to push him, but James had spent seven years learning timing with Lily. The kiss was over before it really annoyed her.

"Will you go check on him for us?" He asked sweetly, grinning in that charming way she was sure got him out of every detention he ever didn't want.

"You know how he gets when he spends too much time alone…" Sirius mumbled, reaching out and picking up her forgotten Daily Prophet.

"Why don't…" Lily began.

"We have a plan. Came up with it in Charms, when Remus was talking to Matilda." Peter smirked down at Lily. She knew they had been whispering.

"A plan that won't land you all in detention?" Lily sighed.

"Well, unless you plan on actually giving us a real detention…." Sirius winked at her. Lily forcefully pushed the heel of her left foot into Sirius' knee. He grunted but held out his hand to help her up. James handed her the pair of multicolored suede wedge saddle shoes she had slipped out of earlier.

"It's not something that will get us all expelled? " She demanded in a huff.

"Hardly. Besides, if that hasn't happened yet, you think it will happen mere months away from graduation?" Sirius let out a barking laugh.

"We'll see you later? Do try to make sure Remus eats something, he doesn't eat when he's upset." James reminded her.

"Not coming to dinner?" Lily frowned.

"Preparations." Peter slid down from his branch. Lily rolled her eyes but collected her book bag and snatched the daily prophet from Sirius. She had walked less than ten paces away when she heard Peter muttering. "Six hours and thirty four minutes, I win."

Lily pretended not to hear the muttering, as she strode across the sunny grounds of Hogwarts. She tilted her head up to soak in the pleasant warmth of the sun. It was too bad Remus didn't want to brood somewhere near the lake instead of inside the castle but at least the library had those large windows on the west side. She slipped the single strap of her book bag around her neck and across her chest, and stretched out her hands as she started jogging and then running towards the castle. She pushed off the ground just before the stone steps, and giggling quietly flew up to the doors.

"Trying to fly without a broom?" Remus chuckled softly as she landed. Lily peeked inside the doors and saw Remus Lupin sitting patiently on the bottom step of the main staircase.

"Were you waiting for me?" Lily eyed him suspiciously. Remus smiled and nodded once before getting to his feet.

"They use to send Peter." Remus shrugged. The boy started headed up the stairs and it was a good half a dozen steps before Lily began to follow him. The walk to the library was a strange pace of Remus leading only to slow to a sluggish pace every time Lily caught up. Lily suspected it had something to do with how Remus had walked with Peter, speeding up to avoid conversation and then feeling bad and slowing down.

It wasn't until the two seventh years were seated at the corner table, under the west side windows, that Lily popped both elbows onto the table and leaned forward expectantly. Remus ignored her as he waved his wand over his shoulder and summoned a stack of books to the table. Lily settled her chin upon her palms and smiled sweetly, waiting until Remus had a book open and a quill hovering over a blank piece of parchment to start humming the latest Wands and Gillyweed song. A corner of Remus lips twitched but his eyes remained downcast on the task of studying. Lily was going to have to a great deal more disruptive if she wanted to break his concentration; he had spent the last six years studying with James and Sirius.

"Moony," Lily whispered softly. That got his attention as Lily hardly ever used their nicknames though she knew them. His green eyes travelled up from his book to study her curiously, patiently waiting for her to continue.

"What'd they do?" She sighed, realizing Remus was not like James or Sirius and wouldn't need to speak first.

"Nothing Lily. I wouldn't worry…" He began.

"You are upset." Lily practically accused. Remus dropped his quill and abandoned his book as he took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. He didn't speak immediately, instead opting to stare out the window his gaze falling to the forbidden forest. Lily started counting in her head, making silent bets with herself when the boy across from her would start speaking. 182 seconds later, Lily cleared her throat loudly.

"Prongs isn't ever very quiet." Remus mused. Lily opened her mouth, not sure if to agree or protest but Remus kept speaking. "Do you think everything will change terribly when we leave Hogwarts?"

He turned to look at her again now, a mixture of resignation and hope painted on his face. Lily frowned and hesitated carefully.

"I think they will have to… we are going to be," Lily stretched out and leaned even further onto the table as she dropped her voice to a whisper. "…fighting a war."

"Yes, but will we change?" Remus mumbled more to himself as he started tapping at the table.

"What did they do?" Lily pressed again, reaching over and placing her hands on his twitching fingers.

"Sometimes I think we're only mates by accident. As if the moment we leave the grounds of Hogwarts, we won't…" Remus shrugged, resigned again as he scooted back onto his chair. Lily slid her arms back across the table and pressed an index finger to her nose as if in thought.

"You know, I've watched the four of you and even when Potter was being an arrogant, bullying toerag and Sirius was, well, being Sirius… The marauders have always seemed like rather good mates to you." Lily finished unsure herself what she was trying to say. She couldn't explain what she knew, what she had always vaguely known and now was keenly aware of, that the friendship between the marauders was something extraordinarily special. She had caught glimpses of how James and Sirius would protect Peter from the bullies that tormented him the first two years at Hogwarts. She knew though he hated the boredom of it, Sirius would sit in the library for hours with Remus to keep his mate company while he studied. She was often bothered and fascinated by the way in which they moved like pack among the grounds and communicated without words. But she didn't know how and didn't know why she would have to explain this to Remus Lupin.

"They have been. The best." Lupin had a disbelieving smile on his face, the kind Lily remember he had the first time he walked into the Prefect carriage in fifth year.

"Potter, Black and Pettigrew might be a lot of things Remus. But I don't think they know how to be disloyal." Lily commented softly.

"Filch confiscated the map. And they wouldn't have told me." Remus finally sighed.

"The Map?" Lily frowned. Remus nodded, sadly looking out the window again. The silence settled between the two friends again and Lily was sure Remus was going to start doing his homework again.

"It was in making that map when we became more than just mates."

"Moony, they were probably going to tell you about it once they'd gotten it back."

Remus nodded as if he expected this answer, he picked up his quill again.

"As if they don't trust me." He whispered.

"That's not it." Lily chided. Remus looked up at her surprised again.

"Didn't think it was important, that we wouldn't need it after Hogwarts." Remus mumbled annoyingly repeating Sirius words.

"Well, you won't." Lily nodded. She grabbed one of the books off his pile and started reading. He spared her one glance before deciding to ignore her and get some of his work done before dinner. Knowing Remus would be easier to talk to once he got some homework done and had some food in front of him, Lily decided to do some studying of her own. The two sat in silence until the sun started setting and they headed down to the Great Hall.

Remus immediately noticed that his friends weren't present for dinner. But he had suspected they wouldn't be when they never turned up at the library. In what she thought was a discreet manner, but Remus recognized instantly, Lily pushed and summoned all of his favorite foods to be in front of him. It wasn't until the meal was almost over that Lily actually spoke again.

"Lupin? You know we'll always be friends. Even if you lot don't have your map anymore." She ventured.

"They didn't even think…" He mumbled.

"For all their faults, reckless behavior being one of them, they don't like disappointing people. Especially not you." Lily shrugged glancing down the long Gryffindor table.

"Disappoint me?" Remus frowned missing the significant look of annoyance on Lily's face. All of a sudden the enchanted ceiling began to rain, not the magical reflection of rain like usual, but actually rain. Large droplets of water started pounding down on the long tables and the screaming and running began as the ceiling rocked with thunder. Reacting on instinct and having the distinct feeling his friends might have something to do with the change of weather in the great hall, Remus grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her out of the rainstorm. But the chaos didn't end as they stepped out of the great hall, no the screaming got louder in the entrance hall where a couple hundred rats were squirming in every direction.

"Oh what in Merlin's name…" Lily started screeching but Remus caught sight of Peter at the top of the steps and pulling Lily along started bounding up the staircase. As they reached the first landing, Remus just nearly stopped himself from colliding with a grinning Peter Pettigrew. A renewed shrieking and laughter came from below.

"The snow must have started." Peter commented beckoning Remus and Lily to come around the corner with him.

"Snow?" Lily huffed. "What…"

"Not now Lily, we've only got so much time." Peter pulled out a foggy looking mirror from his cloak that Remus recognized instantly as one of the two-ways.

"What is going on Wormtail?" Remus demanded.

"Padfoot, Prongs?" Peter spoke at the mirror. Their names were barely uttered before both appeared in the glass.

"Evans, Moony." Padfoot smiled cheerfully. "Oi, that one is moving already! "

"Hold on, hold on." Prongs disappeared from view and the sound of clanking metal could be heard softly from afar.

"The snowstorm should have started by now, so we've got about another…" Padfoot started counting off his fingers.

"Twenty two minutes of distractions, leading everyone to the east side of the castle. Filch should already be in the great hall and shouldn't be back to his office for forty minutes, if we can help it." Prongs appeared again, adjusting his glasses to be leveled with his eyes.

"What is…" Moony began carefully eyeing the empty corridor.

"Look mate, we lost the map, Padfoot and I. We were the prats that lost it. So you and Wormtail should be the ones that get it back." Prongs explained.

"We're the distractions." Padfoot smiled gleefully. It had been ages since the Marauders had pulled a prank of this magnitude. And it was obvious that without Remus to voice the usual restraint during the prank planning, that this particular evening was going to be brilliantly chaotic.

"Of all the…" Lily began on the boys in the mirror. But Sirius just winked and James tapped his watch before they disappeared.

"You should head to the common room," Peter suggested.

"Oh no, no, no, no. I am coming with you for this bloody map. After all this trouble, I want to make sure you two don't get caught and actually get it back." Lily crossed her arms defiantly.

"Why Lily, I think we might be a bad influence on you." Remus laughed, the excitement of the caper flushing his pale cheeks. The three set off in a run towards the quiet and empty side of the castle.

Exactly an hour later, the marauders sat on the floor of their dormitory rolling with laughter as James retold how sixth year Alcott Kensington had danced around the suits of armor they had enchanted in the hall leading to Hufflepuff common room. The prize of the evening, the map, sat untouched and blank in the middle of the circle.

"What might be the last great Marauders prank calls for a time of celebration!" Sirius roared suddenly, eyeing James excitedly. James nodded and rolled across the room to his trunk. Stretching out his wand lazily, swishing in a circle and making a small popping noise with his lips, James magically extracted an old misshapen sock from his trunk.

"What is James going to have us take whiff of his soiled socks? Peter rolled his eyes.

"No Wormtail, no. We are celebrating." James grinned madly as he pulled a bottle of fire whiskey out of his sock.

"Where'd you get it?" Peter questioned suspiciously. During their sixth year, James had produced a bottle of what they had thought was fire whiskey only to find out it was bottled tea one of his great uncles was trying to turn into mead.

"Dad's office cabinet." James smiled wickedly.

"Don't worry, I'll replace it soon as I'm home for the holidays." He added seeing Remus distressed face.

"I've already sent one to the Potters house and had one of the elves put it back." Sirius nodded quickly.

"Oi, I forget Sirius is of age now. Not as much fun sneaking it about then?" James transfigured the nearest object into a glass.

"The rules still don't let you drink as a student on Hogwarts grounds, whether you are of age or not…" Peter reminded them.

"Yes, so not to worry. We are still breaking plenty of rules." Remus laughed as he received a glass that had once been a shoe from James. Once all four marauders had their glasses they held them up over the map.

"We solemnly swear," James prompted.

"We are up to no good." The four boys said in unison. The boys swallowed their drinks quickly.

"So, Moony…. What do you want to do with the map now that we've got it back?" James asked carefully pouring out another ration of fire whiskey to each boy.

Remus stared down at the blank piece of parchment that had cause him to feel so lost today. He smirked at the irony of a map making anyone feel lost as he gulped down another burning sip of fire whiskey. He pulled out his wand and leaned forward, hovering for only a moment before resting the tip of his wand onto the parchment. It was as if an imaginary inkbottle had exploded onto the parchment and was rolling in every direction, in thin delicate lines interweaving amongst each other.

The map stretched itself out on the floor, showing the entire school between the four marauders. Sirius flicked the edge close to his knee with his wand and the map immediately went blank on that corner as it tucked itself back up and out of Sirius space. The dots started appearing, mostly students sleeping in the dormitories but also the teachers still scrambling around the hallways trying to collect roaming suits of armor.

"All of Hogwarts, at our fingertips…" Moony reminiscent the night they began the plans of creating the map, so many years ago. James had leaned over the area of the map that shown Gryffindor tower and was eyeing the girls dormitory were Lily Evans dot was sitting at the window.

"Is she cross?" James asked quietly.

"No, no. I don't actually believe she is." Remus smiled sympathetically at his friend.

"We made the map as aide us in magical mischief making…" Peter was tapping his wand on and off the corner nearest his toes. The map was appearing and disappearing with each tap.

"We won't need an aide to magical mischief making in Hogwarts, when we're not at Hogwarts anymore." Sirius pointed out, warily glancing at Remus.

"I know Padfoot." Remus nodded. "But, it's our map."

"Shouldn't we figure out some way for other mischief makers such as ourselves, future marauders, to be able to use it?" James suddenly suggested.

"It is really impressive magic to let go to waste." Peter nodded.

"Misters Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs purveyors of aids to magical mischief makers of the future…" Remus smiled down at the map.

"Proudly present the Marauder's Map. Maybe we will live forever." Sirius let out a bark like laugh before tipping the last remnants of the bottle into the four glasses outstretched to him.

* * *

_AN: So I know the quote says they lost the map and never quite were able to get it back, but I have a theory about it that was the first plot bunny of this story. The marauders were cocky boys, I don't think it ever crossed their minds they would ever lose their map. The rest of my theory plays out in the next chapter, so I will explain more there. Let me know what you think... _


	4. Concealed

****"Potter, get off my desk! And No, you may not have a ginger snap." McGonagall snapped angrily. James dropped the tin of cookies always present on McGonagall's desk, but didn't push off his corner of the old oak desk. Minerva McGonagall was pacing around her office, glaring at the four boys. Remus and Peter were seated in the two chairs designated for visitors. While, Sirius was casually standing next to McGonagall's empty office chair and James knew that his mate was seconds away from just sitting in it. It was an unspoken goal of Sirius Black to sit in every professor's desk chair, a game he had been playing for the last three years. McGonagall was the only professor Sirius was missing and on the eve before their graduation, James knew he wouldn't be able to resist the opportunity.

"Circe's isle, how you four have not been the death of me in these seven years…" McGonagall was fuming.

"Professor," Remus started.

"Mister Lupin, I suggest you don't do any of your apologetic talking quite yet." McGonagall raged annoyed. "Of all the irresponsible…"

Peter shifted uncomfortably, wandering if it was still possible for them to get expelled before the ceremony tomorrow. James smirked over at Sirius who had finally plopped himself down in McGonagall's chair, one of the many missions of the evening achieved.

"Mister Black! Get out of my chair! What is wrong with you boys this evening, have you been possessed by Cornish pixies?" McGonagall settled her hands on her hips and it suddenly became clear she expected an answer.

"You'll miss us then?" James questioned unabashed. The four faces turned to look at her now, the first time since she had ushered them into her office this evening. She threw her hands up into the air and stormed over to James. Grabbing the tin of cookies he had managed not to open yet, she popped off the top and held it out to the boys.

"Have your ginger snaps then," She fought to keep a stern expression as the boys all chuckled.

"You don't wish we weren't in your house?" Sirius leaned forward in her chair as he popped a snap into his open mouth. His black eyes danced with merriment, the kind of look McGonagall had long since learned to be cautious around.

"Or that we'd just behave and keep our heads down?" Peter added quickly.

"We really are sorry we've been so much trouble." Remus pushed some of his fine hair away from his ear as he ducked his head from her gaze.

"You are not. The lot of you, would do every single thing you did to get a detention from me again." Professor McGonagall studied the four boys in her office. This would be the last time they sat there, not even trying to look ashamed. Seventh Years, only slightly more brazen than they had been as first years.

"And from everyone else to be fair, Professor McGonagall. We treated all our professors equally." Sirius explained.

"You were our favorite though." James added hastily as he thought she might start shouting again.

"Are our favorite." Remus nodded seriously.

"Always fair." Peter smiled at her through his second ginger snap.

"Sirius Black, you put your feet on my desk and I will have you polishing trophies every Wednesday night this summer." McGonagall warned suddenly as Sirius had kicked up one of his boots into the air.

"You can't…" Sirius began but James swatted his foot down.

"Mr. Potter is wise to suggest you not test me." She nodded curtly.

"Sorry professor." Sirius grumbled as he got a pointed look from Remus.

"I know it was you four that were behind that ridiculous prank a couple of months, snowstorms and suits of armor, of course it was you lot." McGonagall eyed them suspiciously.

"We would…" James and Sirius began together.

"Oh I know it was you." McGonagall rolled her eyes. "I let you get away with it, against my better judgment because I couldn't prove it exactly and it seemed harmless enough. And the magic was impressive, BUT…"

"If you four could stay out of trouble for one day!" The marauders chanted in unison.

"As for breaking curfew, wandering the corridors as if…" McGonagall sighed.

"We are sorry about that." James stated quickly.

"Oh you impossible boys! Go on with you all, you are missing your own party."

"How'd you know about the party?" Peter piped up.

"The last Marauders' party at Hogwarts? It's not one of your best kept secrets." Professor McGonagall shook her head as she waved them out of her office. She could hear their laughter even after the fat lady had swung shut behind them.

The Gryffindor Common Room was roaring with music and swirling confetti, the floorboards vibrated with the excitement of freed youth. It could only be described as walking into a sealed firework, all the pressure of the term and seven years of education sealed in by stone, mortar and a large canvas painting. The Marauders hadn't pulled any punches for their last festivity in the tower. Tables were covered in endless platters of food and elaborate towers of butterbeer and muggle soda pop. On the higher shelves, out of the reach of first and second years, bottles of Fire whiskey sat poking out from behind books and incomplete wizard chess boxes. Trays were enchanted to float around the room, passing out snacks and honeydukes treats. On the floor, near the staircases leading to the dormitories on each side of the room, sat baskets filled with bewitched patches flashing the words "Mischief Managed" one moment and the next "The Marauders of Hogwarts, 1971 – 1978". While every hour on the hour, a fiery lion would come roaring through the room.

As the four marauders stepped into the room, the crowd cheered and hooted. James laughed and reached out to receive the four tiny scarlet glasses filled to the brim with the amber substance that smelled of Old Ogden's fire whiskey. A set of three hands had soon removed their own glasses and the boys stood in row, the undeclared possibly overly recognized heroes of Gryffindor house. James with his hair almost combed and his glasses halfway down his nose, giving Lily Evans a goofy smile. Sirius to James right, as he always was, with his right hand holding his glass up towards the crowd of students while his left lazily twirled his wand. Black had perfected the cool aloofness that he had always exuded. Peter stood with his shoulders hunched forward as he gripped his glass, giving a weary smile directly mostly at the shot of fire whiskey. Peter had never liked taking shots in front of people. Remus held back, closer to the portrait than the others but still to Sirius right. He stood taller than Sirius as he stared over the faces of the crowd focusing instead on the falling red and gold streamers as if he was carefully planning how to fix them once the toast was done.

Lily stood back near the windows, holding up her own glass. She studied the four young men at the front of the room. Four boys, worlds apart and yet always together, as far back as she could remember. Maybe they were taller now, their cheeks weren't as rounded and their hair not as short, but no matter how many years had passed Lily Evans could still see the marauders as cheeky first years. Peter still didn't know how to tie his tie properly. Neither did James for that matter, but Remus had taken to tying it for him back in fifth year. Sirius refused to tie his tie properly, so it always hung almost perfectly but just loose enough to inspire a rebellious look. The smiles were all the same: Pettigrew nervous, James cocky, Sirius bored amusement, and Remus a sincere joy. For all that things had changed, the marauders they had seemed untouched by time this evening.

"To the Marauders!" Shouted a bleary eyed fifth year named George Abbott. Lily mouthed the words, _to you arrogant toerags, _which she knew James caught as he laughingly took his shot. A resounding cheer from the room before the clanking of glasses was the only pause for greeting, as the music started blasting again and everyone went back to their merriment. Maybe no one else noticed immediately, but Lily watched as the four inseparable marauders divided. Sirius started dancing with a giggling fourth year. Peter got distracted by one of the floating snack trays and Remus was caught up by a group of sixth years cheering again. She waited rooted to the spot near the window as James shoved through the crowd towards her.

"James," Lily frowned at him as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He didn't let her express whatever displeasure she had though as he pressed his lips against hers. He held her like this as long as he dared, before pulling his head back.

"You taste of fire whiskey." He murmured.

"What's Padfoot doing?" She asked catching a glimpse of Sirius conjuring up a tall table. James shook his head though and refused to even turn around, instead he stated kissing her again.

Peter ran around the common room, tapping his wand against an empty butterbeer mug. He shouted for bets, as Sirius set up a challenging game of muggle arm wrestling. In a quieter voice, Peter was also taking bets on how long James would snog Lily for in the corner of the party.

"Don't let Lily hear you. But I say, at least for another quarter of an hour." Marlene Price, one of the other girls of seventh year, whispered as she slipped a galleon into the mug. The games went on for another forty minutes, as the dancing died down. Groups started forming, fifth years playing spin the wand while sixth years started playing favored drinking games. Some seventh years sat near the fireplace, arguing politics. Remus Lupin sat with them, trying to reason Trevor Dawson and David Prescott about the rising power of dark wizards and anti-muggle behavior.

"You promised." James suddenly whispered from behind Remus. It appeared, the lovesick marauder had released his girlfriend for long enough to sneak up behind the one friend not in the thick of the party.

"Potter, Lupin here is saying that wizards should care about centaurs and giant rights." Trevor started shouting loudly, as if his cloudy drunk eyes tried to focus on James. The corner of James polite smile was struggling to remain upturned.

"Even said something about werewolves." David nodded with a hiccup. Remus could feel the fists James was forming underneath his robes.

"MOONY!" Sirius suddenly roared from across the room.

"You promised us one night Moony, no politics." James whispered again determined. And as if it had always been planned the way, the strong lanky Qudditch captain pulled Remus out of his seat easily.

"Who wants to beat that Lupin can stun David Prescott in a duel?" Sirius baited the crowd still in the common room.

"But he's a prefect!" A third year boy protested, as if that made it impossible. Sirius' grin widens and James kept a tight hold on Remus right arm.

"Only for one more night, it's about time he lived a little." James laughed at the boy.

"Prongs…" Remus struggled to break free of the hold.

"What'd you say Prescott? Care to see?" Peter had appeared in the middle of the politics circle.

"We'll go back to the looming reality of war tomorrow, tonight… Tonight, we're still young and carefree." James insisted as he released Remus.

"Do make sure to win mate." Sirius pleaded as he dropped five galleons into the mug Peter was still carrying around. James and Peter made a show of clearing the area for the duel and Lily counted off the paces. It took Remus 47 seconds to stun his opponent. Before having any opportunity to celebrate his win, James and Sirius had produced several dozen neon colored muggle toys.

"These are water pistols, muggles use them in the summer to squirt each other with water." James explained as he handed them out.

"Something like this." Sirius demonstrated how the pistols worked by pressing an index finger on the tiny plastic lever in the crook of where the toy made an L shape. Water splattered right onto Lily Evan's face.

"Black!" Lily shouted, snatching a gun from James and immediately climbing over the couch in her way to Sirius. A full-blown water war erupted minutes later and the remaining streamers, soaked with water, plunked onto the students' heads. Soaked, poorer, and slightly tipsy a large crowd of partiers went to bed after the water pistols ran out of their stock of water.

Lily was still relentlessly attacking Sirius near the bookcases, as James cheered on both his girl and his best mate. Peter stood next to Remus as he pulled out a set of cigars from his robe.

"Happy Graduation Moony." He yawned cheerfully, holding out a cigar.

"Are those the Ridgebacks?" Sirius held Lily back with the palm of his hand as he fixed a stare on the cigars.

"Your favorite Padfoot." Peter nodded.

"Truce! True, Evans!" Sirius shouted as she flicked her wand at him, drowning him a small downpour of water. James started laughing so hard, he had to duck the jinx Sirius sent his way as he reached out for his cigar from Peter.

The sun was coming up before the party had cleared out. James sat on his favorite armchair near the fireplace. Lily sitting on his lap with her head nestled against his shoulder as she fought to stifle her yawning. Sirius was lying across the table they had always used to play exploding snap on through the years, one of his arms covering his eyes as he puffed at his cigar. Peter sat in one of the other armchairs, singing softly to the music still playing. Remus had his legs over the armrest of chair and with an elbow resting on the other was lazily sweeping up the confetti that was sticking to the ground as it soaked in spilled drinks and food.

"Prongs help me put the young ones to bed?" Remus pointed his wand at the first years under the food table. James glanced over and nodded, as Remus pointed at a second year girl who had fallen asleep on the ledge.

"Best party they'll probably ever see at Hogwarts." Sirius chuckled softly. He flicked the end of his cigar into the fire and glanced around. He whished his wand at the pretty fourth year who had curled up on the long couch and floated her up to her own dormitory.

"Clean up Wormtail?" James nodded encouragingly. Peter smiled and with a flick and jab, the common room was suddenly as spotless as it always was in the mornings.

"Where'd you all go in the middle of the party?" Lily mumbled into James shoulder.

"What was that there love?" James mocked.

"Where'd you go?" She repeated as she lifted her head and blinked the sleep out of her green eyes.

"Had to get a key from McGonagall's office." Peter explained.

"And I had to sit in her chair." Sirius smiled triumphantly.

"What did you need…" Lily began to question but Remus had stomped both his feet loudly, distracting her immediately.

"We need you to help us test something Lily," Remus stated softly. He pulled a piece of parchment from his robes that she immediately recognized as their map. He leaned forward and set it on top of Sirius chest. Lily scooted closer to James knees and leaned forward to study the parchment.

"Let's go up to the astronomy tower." Sirius suddenly sat up and clutched the map.

"Padfoot, we were…." Remus began but James had wrapped his arms around Lily's waist and stood up with her.

"Astronomy tower." James smiled.

"It's the last sunrise we'll ever see from here." Sirius nodded at the window and the brightening sky. So in silence the five Gryffindors slipped from their spotless common room and crept up to the highest point in Hogwarts Castle. Once they were settled up above the grounds, Peter conjured a pot of tea and Sirius pulled out a remaining flask of whiskey. Hot Totties were passed around as they watched the sun creep over the forbidden forest and lake.

"Well we made it mates." James finally sighed.

"Barely." Lily giggled into her still steaming cup of tea and whiskey.

"We do need you to test something for us, Evans." Sirius sighed as he handed over the map. As she reached out and let her fingertips touch the map, words appeared.

_Careful there. _The map warned, in a neat cursive.

Lily squinted at the words and frowned. She had never seen the map do that before. She spared a glance at James but her boyfriend sat with his gaze transfixed on the horizon. As she looked down more words appeared.

_Looking for adventure there Evans? _The map mocked, in a long slightly slanted print.

_Mischief Makers have just one promise to make, an oath really. _The words replaced the first question easily, these written in a tighter, almost cramped handwriting that Lily immediately recognized.

_Just say the words out loud with your wand tip on the parchment. _The last words were in a squat and pointy script.

Lily whipped her head up to study the marauders but none of them were looking at her, or the map. They seemed to be having one of their private, silent conversations as the sunlight started to hit their faces. Lily frowned but reached into her robes and pulled out her wand. She hesitated trying to shake the feeling of this being the marauders last great prank.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good." She murmured with her wand pointed at it.

_Don't forget to clear it when you are done. _The map warned quickly, in the neat cursive again. And then just as she had seen it do countless times before, the map started to form as if an inkbottle had burst open over it. Lily stared down in amazement at the map, it had never once before, ever appeared for her. She knew that the map only appeared for four specific wands, belonging to the marauders.

"It worked." Remus smiled sadly.

"Try clearing it." James nudged Lily.

"How…?" Lily began. Sirius winked at her and pointed at the patch on his chest.

"Mischief Managed." Lily tapped the map and the ink started dissolving.

"We'd better go, I'd like a nap in before breakfast." Peter pushed himself up from the ledge. James carefully slipped his arm around Lily's and took the map back. It was out of sight before she even had a change to react.

It was twenty-two minutes before the ceremony. The last official event any of the seventh years would ever had to attain as students at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Lily expected she would be standing excitedly joking with her peers in the courtyard, instead of standing at the end of the second landing corridor distracting Argus Filch.

Remus darted behind Filch, then James sprinted down the hall, and in the quiet Lily knew Peter must have won the invisibility cloak this time as he heavily trotted unseen. Last Sirius flew, on a broomstick, down the hall as if he were enjoying the last chance he would have to break one of Filch's rules.

The four marauders arrived at the locked door of Argus Filch office with nineteen minutes to spare. James pulled out a key, the one they had nicked from McGonagall just hours before, from his trouser pocket and bent down to unlock the door. He pushed the door open only seconds later and let his friends step in first. Sirius still on his broom zoomed straight to the corner cabinet marked "_Confiscated and Highly Dangerous" _

"Padfoot, we get it. You can fly through the corridors without breaking your neck." Remus sighed impatiently. Sirius grinned madly as he pulled open the bottom drawer. Peter pulled off the invisibility cloak and held out the map and a flask.

"Moony, you do the honors." James nodded as he grabbed the flask.

"You'd think we'd be tried of fire whiskey after this week." Remus rolled his eyes as he grabbed the blank map. He held it up, as if the parchment was a goblet. Sirius finally stepped off his broom to stand at attention and salute the map. Peter mirrored his actions.

"Take a good look around, this is the last time we'll see this office." Peter laughed. He had always hated Filch's office.

"To the marauders map!" James held up the flask.

"To the map." The other three nodded. James pressed the flask to his lips, gulping quickly.

"May Mister Prongs…" He handed the flask to Sirius.

"Mister Padfoot…." Sirius grinned and drank.

"Mister Wormtail…." Peter followed suit, coughing once before passing it along to Remus. Remus stared around at his friends smiling at their own cleverness, and swallowed down the panic of how everything really was about to change. Grabbing the blank piece of parchment that had acted as their decoy, Remus replaced it with the map.

"And Mister Moony, serve the next generation of worthy mischief makers well." He finished their farewell by kicking the drawer shut. Immediately, Remus stepped away from the cabinet and pulled out his watch.

"Thirteen minutes." He warned. Sirius clapped an arm around his shoulders.

"I might have to get myself a watch after today, unless you want to never leave me side?" Sirius asked seriously, as he left the school broom he had borrowed against Filch's desk.

"It feels like we're abandoning it." Peter was whispering to James behind them.

"Nah, the map belongs here." James reassured him. The four of them ran down to the locked door of McGonagall's office, James slipped the key under the door and they kept running. Out of breath, the four arrived just as their place in line with Lily had started moving to their seats. She glared at them but quickly smirked as James dropped a quick kiss onto her forehead.

"What was that about?" She whispered.

"We were putting the map back in Filch's office." Remus explained.

"After all the trouble…" Lily sighed.

"We had to put some modifications onto it, if we were going to leave it behind." Sirius explained.

"Before it would only appear to your own wands?" Lily questioned even though she knew the answer.

"You five, quiet." Professor McGonagall snapped her fingers at them. The seventh year graduation ceremony was a fairly quiet, non-pompous affair. More of a luncheon with awards presented than any formal ceremony, which always took place on the last afternoon before the students boarded the Hogwarts express.

"You magically locked the map?" Lily whispered.

"Strictly speaking yes." Remus nodded.

"And the writing, the writing was each of yours…" Lily struggled to ask the right question.

"We made sure the marauders never really leave Hogwarts." Sirius winked at her.

"By putting the map back in Filch's office?" Lily crossed her arms exasperated by their mysterious responses.

"Who spends the most time in Filch's office?" James asked her.

"Besides you lot?" Lily demanded in a hiss.

"What kind of people Lily?" James rubbed comforting circles on the bend of elbow.

"Well, the kind that are always in trouble." She replied, catching a glare from McGonagall she bit down on her lip.

"Mischief makers, one might call them." Remus chuckled, only speaking through gritted teeth.

"You left the map so future mischief makers can find it, but how?" Lily demanded, understanding dawning on her. It was incredible that these four boys weren't at the top of the class with the kind of magic they mastered for their troublemaking ways.

"The map will find them and befriend them. Just like we would." Peter smiled. Professor Dumbledore had started presenting special awards. A boy from Hufflepuff received a plaque for special services to the school while a girl from Ravenclaw received the highest academic honors.

"Just think Prongs, when you two have children… what they could do with our map once they got to Hogwarts." Sirius beamed at his best friend.

"We should find you mates nice birds to settle down with, a marauder can't be a marauder alone." James laughed.

"Who said we're having children? I just barely started being able to stand James Potter." Lily retorted quickly. The boys all roared with laughter as James mocked a wounded expression on his handsome face. McGonagall was sending murderous looks in their direction.

"He was pretty revolting before you started dating him." Sirius agreed, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Oh stuff it, Padfoot." James shoved Sirius as the whole seventh year started clapping. The ceremony was over and trays of tea, pumpkin juice, tea sandwiches and pastries appeared around the courtyard. Peter commandeered an entire tray for their group as Lupin explained exactly what kind of magic they had used on the latest modifications to the map. The professors were making rounds, offering up congratulations and imparting last words of wisdom on the leaving students. As Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore approached their group, they couldn't help but grin at the reproachful set of McGonagall's eyes and the amused twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes.

"Not even for one day." McGonagall shook her head at the boys. "Miss Evans…"

"I know, only trouble." Lily shrugged apologetically.

"You four have been magnificent." Dumbledore smiled. He held out his hand to each of the boys, holding his grasp with James Potter just a second longer.

"Do try to behave respectfully." McGonagall suggested as she hugged Sirius. It was a quick exchange, very much the same to every exchange the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress had with all the students in the courtyard. But as they moved into the castle, for the last time, James unraveled the note Dumbledore had slipped him.

_June 9__th__. _Just a date, but they all understood it was their first Order meeting.

"So, I guess we aren't students anymore." Lily sighed as James set the note on fire.

"We are for a couple more hours, we've got another party we're throwing on the Hogwarts Express." Sirius shrugged.

"How many more parties can you throw?" Lily demanded with an amused smile.

"At least three more before tomorrow love, we've got a reputation." James shrugged.

* * *

_Author's Note: So yes, they stole it back - but they also discreetly put it right back where it had been put by Filch. Because the marauders didn't need their map, they had diverted their attention to more important things (i.e. looming war) but the marauders had spent a lot of time on the map, a symbol of their friendship, and they were proud boys. So though I agree it was lost in their 7th year, and it was left at Hogwarts... seemingly because they couldn't steal it back but the boys wanted it to look that way. Also, yes there might be a nod to Jewels and TLAT... which if you haven't read, seriously? Go read. _


	5. A Interlude

**In 1989…**

_"Well… when we were in our first year, young, carefree and innocent. –Well, more innocent than we are now – we got into a spot of bother with Filch. We let off a Dungbomb in the corridor and it upset him for some reason—So he hauled us off to his office and started threatening us with the usual- detention- disembowelment—and we couldn't help noticing a drawer in one of his filing cabinets marked Confiscated and Highly Dangerous. George caused a diversion by dropping another Dungbomb. I whipped the drawer open and grabbed – this!" _

-Fred & George Weasley


	6. Lost & Found

It was a calculated risk. Contrary to their family's perceptions, Fred and George Weasley never did anything without completely thinking it through. Well nothing that involved a Dungbomb, anyway.

After weeks of careful observation, it was time for a timely experiment. None of their older brothers had any real experience with Argus Filch. Bill had warned them, repeatedly, about the stern and strict nature of their head of house Professor McGonagall. Charlie had regaled them with stories of how amusing Professor Kettleburn was during Care of Magical Creatures lessons. Percy had tried scaring them with horror stories of how eerie the potions master Professor Snape seemed to be. Years of listening excitedly to tales of the grand school of Hogwarts, the twins had been able to anticipate the personalities of the professors well before they arrived. But their brothers had always been vague about any encounters with the caretaker of Hogwarts School.

But it was while Fred and George devoured their third bowl of ice cream at their first welcome feast that they took notice of the pasty-faced hunchback with the brown coat at the end of the staff table. There was something about his bulging, pale eyes reminiscent of great aunt Muriel's distasteful glare, instantly revealed Mr. Filch to be the most obvious obstacle to all of the twins' fun at school for the next seven years. And it was in that moment that they devised a careful set of tests to see just how much of an obstacle the old caretaker would be for them.

The first Dungbomb had been to test how fast Filch moved. Not very quickly, is what was concluded as Fred and George dashed in opposite directions in top speeds, only to meet at the common room fifteen minutes later unscathed and unpunished. This second Dungbomb was to test what would happen to them if Filch actually caught them.

Fred's first observation, it was a different feeling around the neck to be dragged along by the back of school robes instead of one of mum's homemade jumpers. George's first observation, if the twins grew at the same rate as Bill and Percy, they would be taller than Filch by third year. The knobby fingers of Argus Filch lifted the two scrawny eleven-year-old twins over the threshold to his office, violently dropping them into two rickety chairs in front of his desk.

"Malicious brats! The use of Dungbombs is strictly forbidden at Hogwarts! I have half a mind to chain both of you up to…" Filch began a half shouting, half muttering rant as he slammed the door to his office shut. The force of the slam unsettled the thick layer of dust around the office and George coughed while Fred sneezed.

"Don't try to make excuses, I saw both of you rotten…" Filch started in on them again wheezy heavily as he stomped around his own desk. The first thing the boys noticed about the office was how it lacked windows and the second was the menacingly shiny collection of chains and manacles behind the desk. The color drained from George's face and Fred inched closer to the edge of his seat, positioning the heels of his trainers to be perfectly placed to push him off into a decent run.

"… I should string the two of you up for a couple of days, if only Dumbledore would allow…" Filch raged as he angrily pulled open a drawer and pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill. Fred and George both had to bite down on their glee as they shared a knowing glance. In his ranting, Argus Filch had revealed quite clearly how his bark was far worse than his bite.

Fred visibly relaxed, scooting back into his chair and stretching out his legs to comfortably rest against the front of Filch's desk. George risked a grin as Filch bent down to start jotting down the notes about their offense.

"A clearly prohibited Dungbomb used by Fred Weasley and George Weasley at 7:22 PM." Filch grumbled still bent over his paper, ignoring the culprits sitting in front of him. The boys took advantage of the time to learn their surroundings; there was no doubt in the twins' mind they would be spending some time in this office in the weeks and years to come. This would be what the kitchen had been back at the burrow, a place of lectures and doling out of unpleasant but bearable punishments.

The filing cabinets weren't interesting or captivating, even though they lined the entire office. Cramped writing, labeled each drawer and the eleven-year-old twins barely had the attention span to pay any of the labels much attention. But just as Fred's bored gaze sweep along one of the corners of the room, one of the filing cabinets shook ominously. Seconds later, the third drawer down from the top, started glowing purple and then yellow with pink polka dots. Fred kicked one of his feet at his twin and George immediately followed his pointed look to the clear script designated the lively cabinet. _Confiscated and Highly Dangerous._

George's eyebrows shot up with amusement and Fred pressed his index finger against his temple in mock concentration. George quickly slipped his hand into his school robes, a size just too big as Charlie's first year robes had gone to Fred and he was in his brother's second year robes strategically hemmed to fit him. After a bit of fidgeting, George pulled out the delicately wrapped third and last Dungbomb in their possession, currently.

Dungbomb number three had been designated for the test of repeated offenses. Fred and George stared down at it carefully, devising a plan silently between them as Filch snapped his head up and began threatening them with their head of house.

"We will be speaking to Professor McGonagall about both of you, and I think a detention each night for the next three nights…"

Fred actually began to laugh and George immediately threw the Dungbomb up into the air. The twins dove opposite directions, Fred heading towards the cabinet marked _Confiscated and Highly Dangerous _while George scrambled around on his knees around Filch's office.

"WHAT… YOU FILTHY CHILDREN… INSUFFERABLE MISCRENANTS!" Filch was shouting as he scurried after the scrambling George, a murderous gleam in his eye. George whipped out his wand and whispered an opening spell at the cabinet. Only the bottom drawer flew open, the handle softly knocking into Fred's shin. There were only pieces of parchment in the bottom drawer, nothing that looked terribly interested and Fred threw a look over his shoulder trying to gauge if he had time to open another drawer. When he looked back down at the parchment filled drawer, one peculiar piece had risen above the rest.

_Take me._

The words had been writing themselves when Fred turned around. Before Filch could actually catch George or the piece of parchment could write more words of encouragement, Fred Weasley had tucked the mysterious piece of parchment into the back of his trousers and kicked the open drawer shut.

At 8:22 PM, exactly 17 days after they first arrived at Hogwarts, Fred and George Weasley stumbled back into the Gryffindor common room with their first six detentions from Argus Filch. The two first years reeked of dung and had pieces of debris peppering their bright red hair but wore identical victorious grins.

"What have you two been doing?" Percy hurried towards them, sporting a look that reminded his younger brothers of their mother whenever she found them splashing in the rain puddles in the yard.

"Nothing, Perc." Fred shrugged nonchalantly.

"Just taking a walk, exploring the castle a bit." George nodded trying to slip past Percy before the older boy could ask any more questions. The portrait swung open again and Charlie Weasley trudged through, effectively stepping on the back of George's robes before the boy could run off. Fred stood rooted to his spot, as suck as his twin, because he refused to leave without him. Charlie didn't notice the cluster of his brothers at first, as he was trying to figure out how to quiet his new keeper Oliver Wood in the middle of a strategy conversation.

"Oliver…" Charlie started.

"… If we try just a week of practicing in other people's positions. Say I play seeker while Dawson tries out Keeper…" Oliver chattered on quickly, waving his hands out in front of him as if he was demonstrating how they would move around the pitch.

"Wood…." Charlie began again.

"…It would really improve the way the team…" Oliver didn't even notice his captain was trying to speak.

"What would Charlie play, chaser? He's a pretty good chaser too." Fred spoke up suddenly. The new voice drew Oliver Wood out of his excited trance as he stared at the three other Weasley brothers standing around him.

"How many brothers do you have?" Wood blinked confused, staring up at Charlie.

"Five." Charlie's sighed as he reached out a pulled a bit of dung out of George's hair.

"And are they all good at Qudditch?" Oliver asked studying the twins with a mad gleam in his eye.

"Percy is rubbish at it." George and Fred said immediately.

"But you two…." Oliver began, ignoring Percy.

"Wood, if you'll excuse us. You did excellent at the try out and we are happy to have you on the team." Charlie smiled charmingly at the third year before clasping his two hands over his younger brothers shoulders and pushing them further into the common room.

"They just walked in like this, first years don't have anything to do in the halls this late." Percy began in a high pitch voice, Charlie recognized instantly as the tattling tone that would send the twins into a defensive tirade of merciless teasing.

"Perc…" Charlie began placating and patient.

"We could have things to do in the halls." George argued.

"Yeah, just because you don't have anything to do in the halls. Being the boring stuffy git…" Fred began. Charlie shook Fred slightly, sparing him a warning glance before he smiled at Percy.

"Let me talk to the twins, I'm sure you were doing something before they came in?" Charlie soothed. Percy stared at the twins once more but with an encouraging nod from Charlie, the boy strode away without looking back. Charlie let go of his brothers and ran one of his hands through his wild just got off a broom hair. Bill was lucky to have graduated last year, before the twins arrived at Hogwarts. Charlie stared down at the fidgeting eleven year olds and wondered how his mum had kept them from blowing up the burrow or Percy from killing them.

"You both smell like a toilet." Charlie finally stated.

"Experiment." Fred nodded.

"We got six detentions, each for it." George shrugged. Charlie rubbed his cheek and tried very hard not to laugh at the sheer nerve of his younger brothers.

"Mum…" Charlie began but the twins smirked and shook their heads.

"You won't tell her." They whispered conspiratorially. "And if you just tell Percy that you have…"

"That will work, this time." Charlie laughed despite his efforts to remain stern. The twins had always amused him too much for him to really try to be the serious older brother. He knew before he even sent Percy away, that no matter what they had done he wouldn't mention it to their mother.

"It's proven to work for a total of nine times." George counted off his fingers, as if remembered particular instances this trick had gotten them out of trouble. Fred, meanwhile, was wriggling his arms around his own torso. He pulled out a piece of flat parchment and held it preciously close to his chest.

"Charlie, have you ever seen this before?" He asked cautiously. Charlie and George stared down and the aging piece of blank parchment.

"A piece of parchment? Yes, I think I've managed to see one or two pieces like that in my life." Charlie teased. Fred was frowning at the parchment and George reached out to study the piece in his brother's hand.

"But, this… forget it." Fred blinked the frown off his face and turned his face up to grin at Charlie again. George had taken his wand out to start tapping carefully at the piece of parchment.

"Look here you two, if you want to come down to the pitch with me to practice flying with quaffles before practice sometime this year… you have to keep from racking up too many detentions." Charlie warned as he shoved his elbow into Fred. "Go bathe, will you? Before you give everyone in the family a bad reputation for smelling bad."

The twins tore off at a run, colliding with an annoyed Angelina Johnson who had stood up to celebrate her victory in wizard chest. The girl chucked one of the pawns at the back of George's head, missing him by only centimeters.

"Fancy you too Angelina!" Fred shouted back as he jumped four full steps up to the boy's dormitories. Panting and flushed, the boys flung themselves into their designated dormitory and started tearing off their school robes.

"Why'd you take that?" George huffed, digging his thumb and forefinger into a tiny hole craved into one of the posters of his bed just above the headrest.

"It told me to," Fred shrugged, dumping the piece of parchment on to the bed.

"Told me to stop poking it with my wand." George snatched up the parchment and stared it again. "It looks old."

_You try being locked in Filch's drab office for a couple of years and see what you look like. _A neat cursive print appeared on the corner where George held it. The script was different than the one that had told George to stop poking it, which had been longer and slanted.

"It's talking to me again." George whispered confused. Fred threw a towel around his neck and pulled out his wand. In two long strides and with an outstretched arm, he pressed his wand against the parchment.

"Show yourself!" Fred demanded.

_Well you have got to be cleverer than that. _The words appeared tight and cramped, right around where the tip of Fred's wand rested.

"How come there is different writing each time?" George questioned the parchment as he tapped at it again with his wand.

_Mister Prongs would appreciate it if you stopped with the incessant tapping. _The tight and cramped handwriting appeared.

_Mister Padfoot appreciates your promptness in taking us with you. _The long slanted handwriting that had lured Fred appeared.

_Mister Wormtail agrees with Prongs and Padfoot and would like to add, don't go off showing us to everyone now. _A new squat and pointy script appeared right underneath the slanted words.

_Mister Moony would like to present the Marauders. _The final neat cursive flourished the bottom of the page.

"The Marauders?" The twins stared at the parchment for a moment before the words quickly disappeared. Even though they tapped it a couple of more times and commanded it to speak again, the parchment did not.

"Stick it somewhere, I don't trust it to not take a fancy to someone else while we're gone." Fred directed as he ducked into his trunk.

George shoved the ancient parchment under his pillow and the twins hopped off to shower out the pieces of dung in their hair.

Over the course of several weeks, Fred and George carried the insulting yet encouraging piece of parchment with them like a safety blanket. The boys came to know the Marauders as they called themselves, learning quickly that Prongs and Padfoot were quick-tempered but generally good-natured as they taunted and alluded to the mysteries of the parchment. Moony was incredibly patient and more helpful though still as mysterious as the others. And Wormtail hardly ever offered new information, mostly agreeing with the others.

They had discovered the parchment had been in Filch's office for 11 years. Convincing Fred that it had been waiting for just the right first years to come across it. Once George explained how many detentions they had to serve for retrieving it, impressing Prongs into admitting the parchment would come in handy for mischief-makers such as themselves. Padfoot had hastily added if they could only figure out how to unlock the mysteries of the parchment. Moony had warned them not to try to write on the parchment, one day during transfiguration when Fred had accidently mistaken it with his regular parchment. But while some days the parchment would constantly gleam with fresh ink, other days it would be silent for hours. The twins did notice it seemed to spark to life when it heard certain words.

"Yesterday, Padfoot started on about the right kind of prank when I had my wand on it and said I swear…" Fred mumbled.

"And two days ago, when I was taping at it…" George began.

"Prongs hates it when you tap." Fred reminded his twin.

"…. Godric Gryffindor believed…" Professor Binns droned on gliding back and forth in front of the board in the front of the classroom.

"Yes, he was reminding me of that when suddenly, he got excited and said something about being close when I said something about being up to no good." George explained.

"Mr. Welch and Mr. Badger! Quiet down." Binns called out to the back of the room.

"He means you two…" Lee Jordan whispered to them from his seat in front of him.

"Sorry Professor." The boys chanted. Lee Jordan glanced down at the ancient piece of parchment he had become familiar with over the last week, as the twins had pulled it out in every class and even sometimes at meals. They still hadn't told him what it was, but the boy was starting to suspect they didn't even know.

Fred waited three minutes before he pulled out his wand and pressed it at the corner of the parchment.

"I swear I'm up to no good." He whispered.

_So very close. Just missing a word. _Moony encouraged.

_You have got to be more committed than that. _Prongs suggested.

_Mean it. _Padfoot instantly wrote over Prongs. Then the marauders went silent.

It wasn't until the next night, when Fred and George were sitting on their trunks with a collection of socks, ties, shoes and the piece of parchment between them that it happened.

"Professor Flitwick said you had to really mean the words when casting any spell…" George murmured, pointing his wand once again at a striped sock and murmuring "Wingardium Leviosa."

The sock zoomed into the air and then rapidly tumbled back down to cover up a shoe. Fred frowned as he stared at the sock with disdain.

"Didn't say we had to be solemn though." Fred stated thoughtfully.

"Nah, Percy just thinks everything has to be done solemnly. Takes the fun right out of everything." George shrugged.

They didn't notice at first, the furious bit of writing that appeared on the parchment. But as Fred flicked his wand about and caused the parchment to fly up into the air, the frantic script caught his eye.

_Solemnly, huh? _Prongs taunted.

_That sounds like they could almost mean it. _Padfoot agreed.

_Just think about the rest of it. _Moony encouraged.

_Almost there mates. _Wormtail agreed.

Fred waved his brother over to his trunk as the parchment flew into his hands. Using his elevated wand to press into the center of the parchment, where the marauders had left a blank spot. Fred smiled mischievously.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Fred announced clearly. The effect was immediate, the ink of the script started running and curving and twisting. The words appeared blazing on the parchment.

_Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs_

_Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers _

_Are Proud to Present:_

_The Marauder's Map _


	7. B Interlude

**_In 1994… _**

_"I happen to know that this map was confiscated by Mr. Filch many years ago... Yes, I know it's a map. I don't want to know how it fell into your possession. I am, however, astounded that you didn't hand it in. Particularly after what happened the last time a student left information about the castle lying around. And I can't let you have it back, Harry." _

_-_Remus Lupin


	8. There & Back

The sound of scratching quills echoed off of every corner of the Defence classroom in what could be considered a combination of nervous and agitated tones, a sure sign of only minutes remaining of a final exam. Professor Lupin stepped out from one of the rows of desks, and quietly stepped over to his desk at the front of the room. Settling into a lean against his own desk, Remus let his gaze wander away from his students and out one of the windows of his classroom. It was a perfect summer day, the sunlight touching every part of the Hogwarts grounds and casting just the right amount of shades under the aging trees. Lupin's gaze immediately travelled down to the edge of the lake under the willow tree where he and the marauders had spent many such afternoons. Blinking, Remus Lupin turned away from the window and pushed away the memories that had been brimming on the surface since September 1st.

As the bell rang, a sigh of relief escaped they young professor. He outstretched an open hand to the classroom, patiently receiving scrolls from his young students and congratulating them on finishing their second year. Almost the entire room was cleared in mere seconds, all except for the furiously scribbling Colin Creevey. Remus pretended for the boy's sake to be busy organizing the received exams for a few minutes, giving Colin an extra three minutes.

"Sorry Professor…" Colin muttered chewing on the tip of his quill as he kept writing.

"Writing a book for your final exam there, Creevey?" George Weasley stepped into the classroom from the hall carrying three empty crates.

"No." Colin replied seriously. The mild teasing from George made Colin drop his quill immediately. Remus coughed to hide the small snort that had escaped him. The last second year hurriedly collected his books and flushed turned in his scroll.

"Enjoy your free afternoon Colin, I'm sure you did excellently." Lupin smiled warmly. Colin beamed as he ran out of the room, ducking under Fred Weasley who had followed his brother precariously balancing a decaying tank, two empty crates and two long coiled ropes.

"Watch it!" Fred shouted after the boy.

"George, Fred. I trust the clean up of my obstacle course wasn't too much trouble?"

"Strangest detention we've ever had, I figure." George huffed setting his crate down.

"It's a pleasure to find I provided a change of pace to your usual detention schedule. Would you boys like some tea?" Remus asked. The twins nodded and Lupin carrying all the exams led the way back to his office.

"Just like McGonagall, tells us off and then gives us a ginger snap… Detention and then invites us to tea." Fred muttered amused.

Lupin couldn't help but smile, there were worse professors at Hogwarts to be compared to than Minerva McGonagall. Professor Lupin settled the stack of exams onto his desk, sparing only one glance down at the blank, aging piece of parchment tucked under a large Defence Spells book. Fred and George shuffled into the office and with a wave of his wand Remus summoned the teapot and a set of fading red teacups. Fred ran the sleeve of his robes across his face, streaking a bit of sweat and dirt across his cheeks. George plopped down in one of the empty chairs and reached out for his teacup.

"And how did your O.W.L exams go?" Lupin asked conversationally.

"We showed up to all of them and didn't jinx Snape." Fred shrugged noncommittally as he stepped up onto his chair and quickly kicked up the front two legs, leaning casually. Remus was struck with the sudden reminder of how Sirius had never been able to sit in a chair properly.

"Professor Snape." Remus quickly added to give an explanation to his frown.

"I reckon we did pretty well on the Defence exam." George spoke up.

"And we got an outstanding in Charms." Fred grinned cockily.

"You sound confident," Lupin commented finally settling into his own desk chair. He set his wand down on the desk and it rolled slightly, settling just so the tip of it touched the map.

_Moony? _A tight and cramped word scrawled in the corner of the parchment. Lupin choked on his own tea, as George explained how their examiner for Charms had been blatantly impressed. Remus knew the color was draining from his cheeks and he wasn't sure the boys couldn't hear how hard his heart was beating. The office was awkwardly silent for a few moments as George and Fred exchanged a confused look.

"Yes, well. I must get to these exams. Thank you for your help this afternoon." Remus nodded politely, forcing a calm smile of appreciation on his face.

"Didn't have much of a choice Professor, you gave us the detention." George sighed.

"Well, I appreciate the effort nevertheless. Do try to stay out of trouble." Remus smiled as he watched the twins duck out of his office. Prongs and Padfoot had always said they deserved thanks for all the tasks they performed during their detentions. It was one of the many things Lupin couldn't manage to forget.

When the door to the classroom clicked closed, Remus Lupin pushed everything clear of the one piece of parchment he had been avoiding for weeks. Since retrieving the map from Harry, Lupin had tried desperately to ignore it. But even with all his desires to avoid the haunting piece of parchment, and all the memories it would bring, he hadn't been able to hide it away. For weeks the map had sat atop his desk, partially covered by a book of spells but always painfully in sight.

Without even noticing his own nervous actions, Remus Lupin began to tap his wand incessantly on one of the corners of the map as he stared down at the glittering handwriting of one of his dead friends.

_Moony, mate, you know I hate the tapping. _The new words appeared near the tip of his tapping wand and Remus immediately stopped. Yes, James had always hated tapping wands. It had been something about how Mr. Potter had always tapped his wand incessantly while lecturing James. Tapping wands had always triggered guilt in Prongs and he had never been particular keen on that feeling.

This had been what Lupin had been avoiding. His wand hadn't been near this map in over 15 years, but he had always known they would recognize him. The marauders of the map, even after all these years, could never forget a familiar wand.

_Moony, did they go and make you a professor too? _The squat and pointy writing of Peter appeared next to James. Being addressed by two dead friends was too much for the poor man and he gripped his wand so tightly, his knuckles turned white.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good." Remus whispered. The writing disappeared and the ink ran in every direction as the whole of Hogwarts appeared at his fingertips. Lupin knew his dead friends couldn't speak to him while the map was activated. At least, not directly speak to him. He knew because he had been the one who taught them how to do the magic that allowed them to talk to him at all.

_Maybe we will live forever. _It had been Padfoot that had inspired the idea. Sirius Black, the traitor and murderer, the reason the marauders were no more. Lupin stood up and pushed away from his desk in a violent overreaction that sent several scrolls flying around the room. Rubbing a shaking hand against his forehead while pushing away his fair graying hair from his eyes.

"How did this happen?" Remus muttered as he dropped down to collect the scrolls.

He knew. He remembered every wretched detail of how everything had happened. The marauders had graduated Hogwarts, they had joined The Order of the Phoenix and they had begun to fight a war. At first everything was as they had dreamed, four friends against the world. But then, James had gotten himself noticed by the enemy. Classic Prongs, with his endearing and annoying ability to command attention, had forced himself into hiding. It was when the Potters went into hiding even before the secret keeper business that communication dwindled. Peter had become nervous and had always been rubbish at writing. Sirius had grown suspicious of everyone, understandable now that Remus knew he had been the spy. James had grown depressed and sulky, completely silent. The year of their hiding it had been Lily that wrote regularly. It was only Lily that soothed Remus fears of his friends suspecting him the spy. Lily, the unspoken fifth marauder, had tried to keep them all sane.

As Remus placed the scrolls back on his desk, he stared at the map once again. He knew he was being a coward. He had been wishing he could speak to James all year, wishing he could go back to when they had all been friends and everything had been brilliant. Sharply inhaling, Lupin reached out and tapped the map again.

"Mischief Managed." He announced. But as he watched the tiny labeled dots dissolve around the grounds, his eyes caught the jogging name Potter.

_Harry Potter. _The boy was leaving the castle with Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. Professor Lupin turned sharply on his heel turning away from the map and stepping to his window. Harry and his friends were nowhere to be seen on the grounds, but a Hippogriff sitting in Hagrid's pumpkin patch.

"Our conversation is going to have to wait Prongs, it seems Harry really is your son." He sighed to the empty room. Spinning around, Lupin pointed his wand at the parchment once more pausing only to read the tiny note in his own familiar handwriting scrawl against one of the edges.

_Don't forget to clear it. _He smiled. Moony was forever the cautious marauder.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good." Remus Lupin stated quietly. Waving his wand to replenish his tea, the professor took hold of the exam atop his pile and one of his quills. After locating Harry Potter and his friends on the map once again, stationary in Hagrid's hut for the time being, Lupin began grading Colin Creevey's exam.

As the sun was setting and Lupin finished grading his fourth exam, a faint crease between his eyebrows formed as he stared down at the map. It was becoming clear he going to have to travel down to Hagrid's to personally retrieve Harry James Potter and his friends. Obviously the boy could not be allowed to wander around the grounds at night, not with Sirius on the loose. Harry was refusing to understand the real danger he was in, stubborn just like both his parents. Although, Harry didn't know how much of a threat Sirius really could be, no one but Remus knew about the man's animal form and vast knowledge of how to get on the grounds.

Remus glanced at the clock on his wall, Severus hadn't come in with his potion quite yet but if he travelled down now there would be enough time to get back before his furry little problem reared it's ugly head. Stepping back to his desk, Lupin checked the map once more. The three dots had started moving, stepping out of the cabin with an extra person…_Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Peter Pettigrew._

Snatching up the map up, he shook it slightly. Was the magic of it finally fading? Could the map be malfunctioning? Maybe they hadn't been as clever as they believed. But before Remus could pull out his wand to check the enchantments, another dot came into view. Sirius Black was hurtling towards Peter Pettigrew and Harry Potter.

Over the course of the year, some days at Hogwarts had been like a living torture for Remus Lupin. Tonight even the map was having a go at Lupin's sanity. Potter. Black. Pettigrew. Lupin. Four marauders on the map, well three marauders and a half a voice reasoned in his mind.

Lupin couldn't even blink as he watched the dot marked Sirius Black drag the two dots marked Ron Weasley and Peter Pettigrew under the Whomping Willow. Wormtail was alive. Remus couldn't even begin to process the new reality. But as he watched horrified, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger followed the others off the map. Something was wrong, very wrong and dropping the map back onto his desk, Remus Lupin ran out of his office in search of his old schoolmates.

_James keeps telling Harry that Sirius is as loyal as dog and the baby just laughs. Pete hasn't been by too much lately, preparing for a trip. We really miss seeing you. James is worried about you…_

As he ran the blood rushing through his ears, all Remus could think of was one of the last letters Lily had ever written. He always thought she had been trying to tell him, give him hints that they had decided on Sirius as their secret keeper. Obviously, Padfoot had always been their choice. As it had been so long since James or Sirius seemed to have shared their plans with him because suspicion had been the way of life those days. Remus had tried not to decipher her message beyond the words, respecting his mates desire for him to be out of the loop and respecting their doubt in his loyalty. But tonight, as he felt his heart pounding against his chest, Lupin kept remembering Lily's words. Padfoot had always been the loyal one.

The smell of strong tea and bacon is what finally stirred the sleeping Remus Lupin. A groan escaped the man as he pulled up the arm hanging from the edge of his bed. Everything hurt and Remus wasn't sure if he wanted the bacon or sleep more. Even with his eyelids closed, Lupin knew it was sunrise. He struggled to remember everything from the night before, the night on the grounds under a full moon.

"Poppy left a healing potion this morning already, it should help with the headache and aching joints." The quiet voice of Albus Dumbledore spoke. "She wouldn't say exactly what it was but by the looks of it, I would advise drinking it quickly."

The familiar, ancient voice of Dumbledore jolted Remus Lupin awake. Peter Pettigrew was alive. Sirius Black was innocent. Ignoring every ache in his body, Lupin sat up and blinked exhaustedly. Trying to control the rising panic that he might too late, he forced his bleary eyes to stare at Dumbledore.

"Professor Dumbledore," Lupin suddenly croaked, desperately. "Sirius didn't do it."

A soft mirthful chortle escaped Dumbledore and Remus looked upon the headmaster with confusion. Dumbledore reached out clasped the potion on the desk and gently pushed it into Lupin's hands.

"Dear man, I think it's been far too long since I've heard anyone say those words." Dumbledore explained with a twinkle in his eye. He stared pointedly at the potion and waited until Lupin began to gulp it down before speaking again. "Possibly not since the last time you called me Professor."

Lupin was breathing deeply through his nose, ignoring the foul scent of the potion, as he tried to calm his hammering heart. If Dumbledore was calm, everything had to be all right. The young professor finished the potion and set the glass back on a familiar desk, suddenly noticing he was sitting in a conjured bed in his office.

"Absolutely ingenious map you boys made." Dumbledore smiled proudly. Lupin snapped his gaze again to Dumbledore and noticed the Marauder's Map, still a map, lying on the floor of his office. A quick scan revealed no dot marked Sirius Black or Peter Pettigrew.

"Albus, what has happened to Sirius?" Lupin asked in a shaky whisper.

"I suspect he's flying over some ocean by now." Albus smiled brightly. "Harry Potter is an incredible young man…"

Letting out a great sigh of relief, Remus Lupin relaxed as he listened to Albus Dumbledore explain how the night had progress after he had become a werewolf.

"Unfortunately, I do believe the whole night's affair might have upset Severus considerably. I don't pretend to hope he won't let your secret out before lunchtime." Dumbledore finally finished. Remus started to laugh uncontrollably, a sense of nervous giddiness overtaking him for a moment. By the time the fit had subsided Albus Dumbledore was standing in the doorframe of his office.

"I am sorry Albus, I should have cleared the map before I left… Remembered to take my potion… I never meant to be so much trouble." Remus began apologetically.

"Things happen as they must." Dumbledore sighed his eyes still twinkling. "I must go, last day of term and we've had an escaped convict and a werewolf running lose. Never a dull moment."

Left alone, Remus immediately flicked up the blinds and opened the windows. Feeling a considerable amount better since drinking the potion, Remus stood up to stretch and immediately noticed he was still in his robes from the night before. He conjured the bed back into an office chair and swung down to pick up the map.

"Well this might be the longest you've been a map, ever." He muttered holding out in front of him. The school was just beginning to stir, as students traveled down to the great hall in packs for breakfast. Lupin noticed Harry Potter was still soundly sleeping in Gryffindor Tower.

"Mischief Managed." Lupin muttered. He watched the map slowly clear before tapping his wand against it once more without saying a word.

_Moony, it's early. _Prongs complained. Glancing at the clock on his desk, Lupin laughed.

_Go back to bloody bed. _Padfoot wrote and Remus could hear the boy growl menacingly at him. Both sets of words disappeared as quickly as they appeared.

"I suppose I could go find breakfast and wash away all this dirt. But today, we're going to talk." Lupin warned the map quietly as he set it back down on the desk, covering the blank piece of parchment with the large book of spells once more.

Not until afternoon, a much more acceptable time by marauders standards, did Remus Lupin return to the piece of parchment on his desk. After cleaning himself up and finding enough bacon to satisfy his hunger, Lupin had jogged down to the whomping willow and collect James' old invisibility cloak. On his way back into the castle, Remus noticed immediately the darted glances and pointing whispering students on their way into Hogsmeade. Stepping back into the Entrance Hall, it became abundantly clear that Severus had indeed told the Slytherins and consequently the entire student body about Lupin's affliction. Taking the marble steps two at a time, Remus couldn't even find it in himself to be bothered by the inevitable. He would be leaving Hogwarts but it no longer mattered. One of his friends was alive and not a murderer or a traitor, and suddenly Moony knew he could face the world again. Since childhood, sometime after the werewolf bite that would mark him for life, Remus Lupin had learned to accept things as they came.

Standing over his desk, both hands resting to either side of the map, Lupin just stared at the blank parchment. His wand hovered just barely above the map, tucked underneath his middle finger and pressing into the rest of his fingers carefully.

_Undecided? _The word appeared to the left of his right thumb, in his own handwriting. A smile tugged at Lupin's stern expression. Relentless, they had always been relentless with each other. This was his own fault that the map at his fingertips was taunting him. It had been his idea all those years ago to enchant it with their personalities, give the map it's marauders forever.

_It's been ages, more than a decade; maybe you haven't been anything but boring. _Padfoot wrote near the bottom of his palm. Always the taunting mocker.

_We could tell him about what we've been doing; we're anything but boring. _Prongs scrawled across the whole parchment. Always the attention seeker.

_Spent an awful long time in that dark cabinet in Filch's office though. _Wormtail appeared between all the other's writing. Always the one to state the obvious.

Remus stared at the squat and pointy writing he knew to be Peter Pettigrew's own handwriting. He wanted to talk to his friends, tell them of all that had happened but how could he tell them. How could he tell the marauders they hadn't lasted forever? Would Wormtail admit it to him, did Peter at seventeen know he would be the one that single handedly destroyed their lives?

Lupin realized he didn't feel anything in regards to Peter Pettigrew. Yes, the anger had burned in him last night. He would have killed Peter if it hadn't been for Harry. But today, Remus Lupin hadn't a feeling to spare for Wormtail aside from regret at letting him escape. He had mourned his friend so long ago that the sudden discovery he was not dead but merely a traitor had barely made a difference to the man. If anything, Remus had been surprised that little Peter had gotten the better of not only the greater wizarding community but of Sirius Black. But where he held no feelings towards the real traitor, the swelling feelings of guilt over Padfoot were practically unbearable.

If Lupin had just cleared the map before he left the office, Snape would never have seen them. Snape wouldn't have interrupted Padfoot's explanation. They might have been back at the castle before the full moon, and Sirius would be a free man and Peter would not have escaped. He glanced down at the writing now all over the map. The marauders had started to explain their exploits.

_We tried to get someone's attention loads of times. _Wormtail had begun.

_It wasn't until Scruff and Card. _Prongs explained.

_They haven't got a clue we call them that but they are twins by the names Gred and Feorge. _Padfoot added.

_Fred and George. _Moony corrected.

_Said something about weasels, so we went with Scruff and Card -short for Cardinal-for them on account of the neck and color of the animals. _Padfoot explained the logic. He had been the one who came up with all their nicknames, so long ago.

The four marauders of the map kept explaining their time with Fred and George Weasley amongst themselves. But Lupin couldn't concentrate on the history of the map, even if he had been curious how it had come to be in the possession of Harry. Remus stepped away from the chattering parchment, turning towards his window to look over the grounds. Maybe if he had remembered to take his potion. Maybe then he wouldn't have been a danger and Sirius wouldn't have had to waste time with him instead of getting to safety, securing his freedom.

A tiny paper bird flew at the window a second later, repeatedly hitting the glass until Remus noticed it. He stared at the magical creature for a few moments, trying to remember the last time he had seen a flying paper bird. He opened the window slightly to allow the object in and the paper bird flew right into his hand. As it landed, the paper unfolded to reveal a short note.

_Thanks mate. You've taught Harry brilliantly. Saved us both. _

_Soon, Padfoot _

The script was messy, as if written quickly and while flying. Even after all these years, Sirius Black hadn't changed. Even during their days at Hogwarts, the aloof and reckless Padfoot had never liked farewells between them. He had forever insisted on signing notes during the holidays with the word soon, a promise to send more letters or just appear one afternoon on one of their porches. Lupin couldn't remember one instance when he had ever heard Sirius utter the words good-bye to him or James. For the first time since the death of James and Lily Potter, Remus didn't feel so alone. Suddenly, the man knew exactly what he wanted to tell his old school friends. He spun around on his heel again, picking up his wand and pointed it at the parchment.

"Do you know who carries you now?" Lupin asked the map.

_Well you've had us under that heavy spells book for weeks mate. _Padfoot accused.

_Took us from the new marauder, just one this time. A boy. _Prongs explained.

_Doesn't talk to us much, don't think he knows we talk back. _Wormtail pointed out.

_Didn't have to figure us out. _Padfoot added.

_Scruff and Card explained when handing us over. _Moony explained.

_Hasn't had us long, but we got him into Hogsmeade twice now. _Prongs wrote and

"His name is Harry Potter, and he's your son Prongs." Lupin whispered to the map.

_Prongs has a fawn? _Padfoot instantly replied.

_Ever call him a fawn again Padfoot and we're writing you out. _Prongs threatened.

Remus laughed, a real relaxed expression of merriment for the first time in years. He sat at his desk and told his friends about Harry Potter.

_Doesn't even have a nickname yet, unless we count fawn. _Padfoot scrawled partially over Prongs writing. Remus was struck with the image of Sirius tilting back in on of the chairs in front of his desk, kicking at James with one of his feet.

_I mean it Padfoot! Grown Moony would help me take you right out of the map, wouldn't you? _Prongs implored.

_Am I his teacher then? _Moony asked.

"Yes, Defence Against the Dark Arts professor." Lupin tapped at the map as he spoke. Noticing the time, he began to whip his wand around sending his belongings into his old trunk.

_Always the professor. _Prongs and Padfoot wrote the exact same words. Lupin nodded absently as he stared at the dull writing on his trunk, Professor R.J Lupin. The trunk had been a gift from James and Sirius, given it to him on platform 9 ¾ upon their last arrival home from Hogwarts. Prongs and Padfoot had given him the trunk only hours after the marauders had left their map tucked in a cabinet marked confiscated and highly dangerous.

Remus thought about putting the map back into his trunk, keeping the two objects that represented the happiest time in his life together. He watched as all the words on the parchment disappeared and it looked harmlessly innocent. Without this map, Harry Potter might stay out of trouble. Surely, Harry didn't need any more purveyors to his mischief making. And as a professor Remus couldn't imagine handing the item back over to any student. But he wasn't a teacher anymore. As he got lost in thought, the tight elegant script started up again.

_Well Professor Moony, you are going to give us back to him then? _Prongs questioned.

The map had found it's way to Harry. Harry Potter, of all the students in Hogwarts. After all these years, the marauders had managed to find one of their own despite all the odds against it ever happening. Remus knew James would have wanted his son to have it. Even Lily wouldn't have been able to object to the boy's inheritance.

_A little rule breaking never hurt anyone. _Padfoot prodded.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Remus sighed. The words cleared and the grounds began to form. Professor Lupin scanned the map for the tiny dot marked Harry Potter and noticed it heading towards his office.

* * *

_AN: This was the hardest chapter to write of this story so far (though I think overall it will remain). So let me know what you think... I am working on the last leg of this story now, so a couple more chapters! _


	9. C Interlude

**In 1999… **

_He slowed down, coming to a halt halfway along an empty passage, where he sat down upon the plinth of a departed statue and pulled the Marauder's Map out of the pouch around his neck. He could not see Ron's or Hermione's names anywhere on it, though the density of the crowd of dots now making its way to the Room of Requirement might, he thought, be concealing them. He put the map away, pressed his hands over his face, and closed his eyes, trying to concentrate… _

-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows


	10. Safe & Sound

The conversation had turned to the ages old argument of the merit of finishing their formal education and taking the NEWTs. Hermione Granger nosily clanked her teacup and saucer as she adamantly made her case. Sitting with one arm draped around her shoulders and the other generously shoveling a biscuit into his mouth, Ron Weasley rolled his eyes dismissively.

"..ER…mion…e" Ron managed to spit out every other letter between bites of food.

"Ronald! You could try chewing your food before speaking." Hermione snapped.

Harry Potter rolled his eyes at the familiar sounds of his best mates bickering as he kicked up to balance on the back two legs of his rickety old chair. He leaned back far enough to see past the bulky traveling cloak hanging from the back of Neville Longbottom's chair. His eyes patiently scanned the room and a slight frown formed as he focused on the plush armchair near the fireplace. A tiny toy broom hung less than two inches from the floor, held in place by one forgotten limb of a sleeping Teddy Lupin. The toddler seemed to have fallen asleep mid climb, as one of his arms reached above his head clutching the armrest. The boy's flushed cheek was smashed against the cushions and his head was in an awkward bend over his other arm. Harry didn't understand how his godson could possibly manage to fall asleep so quickly and uncomfortably. He lazily pulled out his wand and flicked it at the sleeping tot, pulling up his leg and bringing down his arm.

"… Hermione just because you did it, doesn't mean…" Ron was arguing. Harry continued to ignore his friends, as he lifted up his wand commanding the toy broom to stand and rest against the leg of the armchair. Teddy fidgeted against the cushion and turned his face away, revealing his untamed black hair of the day. The metamorphmagus toddler was becoming quite skilled at mirroring his godfather's appearance, down to the faint scar on his forehead. It had been unnerving the first time the baby had done it but now Harry thought it rather endearing.

"Sirius use to sit like that a lot." George Weasley whispered as he sat down..

"Yeah, he did." Harry agreed, as he allowed the chair to drop back down.

"Use to look at you, same way you look at Ted." George gave a small sad smile as he nodded towards the sleeping baby. Harry started opening his mouth to ask George how exactly Sirius had looked at him but the words never left his lips.

"I don't understand why we all had to get here so bloody early." George stretched.

"Professor McGonagall didn't want you lot to cause a scene." Hermione shrugged.

"Didn't want you lot to cause a scene," George pointed at Harry, Ron and Neville while grumbling. "Me, I could bloody well be traveling under an invisibility cloak, no one knows me! But Kingsley insisted you lot just had to apparate into my store."

"We are the most popular faces on the chocolate frog cards." Ron chuckled.

"You aren't on the chocolate frog cards." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Yet, Hermione, yet." Ron winked.

"Can any of you believe it's been a year?" Neville sighed craning his head to look out the window behind him. The staff room on the first landing of the castle had a clear view of the black lake and the edge of the forbidden forest. A soft murmur of disbelief rippled among the small group as they all followed Neville's gaze. The grounds were as lush and calm as any of the afternoons from their school days, as if the battle had never transpired.

"We have spent most of the year rebuilding." Hermione whispered.

"When you weren't busy playing at seventh year school girl?" George mocked.

"Could have any job at the ministry, she could. But not without taking her NEWTs. Completely mental this one." Ron shook his head disbelievingly.

"I heard little Dennis Creevey showed off quite a bit during his Defence OWL?" Neville tried to distract from yet another argument about schooling.

"Yes, did rather well. All the DA did brilliantly on their exams." Hermione smiled.

"They also put up a brilliant party last night." George laughed as Hermione scowled.

"Yes, Miss Weasley would have made you proud with such a display of frivolity." The door of the staff room had silently creaked open and Professor McGonagall stood just steps away from the table. Her fixed stern glare lingered on George Weasley for a moment, as if the man was to blame for the party that had kept up most of Gryffindor the night before. But she slowly cracked a smile and stepped forward.

"I am glad to see you all here."

"Didn't have much of a choice Professor, Kingsley mentioned something about retroactively losing house points…" Ron muttered.

"Now Potter you will speak directly after…" Professor McGonagall ignored Ron.

"Professor, I would prefer if Neville spoke." Harry interrupted.

"Longbottom is to speak before you, Potter." McGonagall stated sharply.

"Couldn't Neville just speak on behalf of both us?" Harry sighed, running his head over his forehead in agitation.

"Mate, you knew you would have to speak." Ron leaned forward to reason with him. Professor McGonagall clapped her hands resolutely and ignored the pleading look on Harry's face as she continued to instruct them on their duties for the memorial. It wasn't until George dropped down to retrieve his lost bit of biscuit from under the table, dropped out of boredom, that anyone noticed the tiny toy broom was missing.

"Teddy?" George whispered under the table, scanning the room. He swatted at Ron's bouncing knee to get a clearer view of the far side of the room.

"George, what are you doing?" Ron kicked at his older brother's hand.

"Is the door open?" George popped up from underneath the table still searching the room. Everyone stopped mid conversation, Neville and Harry snapped their attention to the open door while Hermione, Ron and McGonagall gawked at George.

"How does the door being open matter to what order we're reading names in?" Hermione asked quietly. But Harry had suddenly realized how quiet it really was, a still silence never maintained when his godson was in a room. Harry jumped from his seat as his head whipped to the direction of the empty armchair.

"Teddy?" Harry called out softly. George scanned the room while Neville and Ron were on their feet calmly glancing behind things and under chairs.

"But he wouldn't…" Hermione frowned.

"Andromeda did say he'd taken to running off." Harry groaned.

"I reckoned she meant it mate." Ron stood up from behind the dresser in the corner.

"Harry! Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Hermione screeched.

"He was napping Hermione, I didn't think he'd take off." Harry shrugged.

"Now, now. No need to panic, young Mr. Lupin couldn't have traveled very far or gotten into too much mischief quite yet." Professor McGonagall stated simply.

"Hasn't played hide and sneak with the little tot in the office, has she?" Ron muttered. Hermione smacked Ron in the shoulder and Harry jumped past them. In the corridor he glanced up and down finding it empty. Harry instinctively reached into his robes and pulled out a worn moleskin pouch.

"Keep figuring out the ceremony, I will find Ted and be right back." Harry called into the room. Ron and Hermione exchanged a look as George broke into a knowing grin.

"Need help Harry?" Neville questioned. Harry replied back in the negative before clicking the door shut behind him. He waited until the murmur of voices could be heard behind him before pulling out the ancient piece of parchment.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good." Harry whispered. The ink started to weave the familiar patterns of the marauder's map. Out of habit, the first dot he located was Ginny Weasley, traveling through the Gryffindor common room. Then he found his dot standing outside the staff room. It was another several seconds before Harry caught sight of the dot labeled Edward Lupin whizzing up the stairs of the first floor.

"I'm going to take that toy broomstick away for good." Harry grumbled as he started jogging down the corridor. It was a halfhearted attempt at annoyance, the truth of the matter was Harry could rarely stay too cross at the young Lupin. About halfway up the stairs, Harry discovered the discarded shards of the toy broom.

"It's a wonder it last this long, just like Tonks." Harry shook his head as he pointed his wand at the pieces of wood. The remains disappeared. Harry glanced at the map once more to notice the tiny dot was traveling, slower now on the third floor. More dots were starting to move around the school and even the portraits were starting to stir. As Harry started running up the stairs a few of the portraits called out to him to slow down. He turned the corner of a familiar hallway, slowing his pace once he caught sight of Teddy Lupin standing still and starring up at a statue.

"Teddy." Harry sighed bending down to grab Teddy, dropping the map.

"Up!" Teddy demanded as his pudgy arms jumped up to pull on Harry's robe.

"We can't have this running away bit happening often now. I don't have a magical map of every place we go." Harry warned as he pulled the boy up to sit on his knee. Teddy gave his godfather a gap tooth grin before pointing excitedly at the statue in front of them. Harry obligingly turned to stare at the object of Teddy's amusement. They sat at the base of the statue of Gunhilda of Goresmoore, the one-eyed witch.

"Of all the statues in the castle, you would find this one wouldn't you?" Harry laughed at the giggling boy in his arms. Reaching down to grasp the map once again, Harry saw the password appear over his own dot on the map.

_Because these mapmakers would have wanted to lure you out of school. They'd think it extremely entertaining. _Remus Lupin's voice came echoing back to Harry as he stared at the map and held the man's son.

"Teddy, want to hear a story?" Harry asked the toddler.

"Sor! Sor!" Teddy clapped his hands excitedly again. Harry laughed at his enthusiasm. He pulled out his wand and muttered mischief managed, clearing the map before standing up with Teddy sitting comfortably on his right forearm. Harry walked across the wide corridor and leaned directly on the wall across from the witch. In a slow motion of dropping his weight, Harry settled onto the stone floor.

"Ted, this is a map made by a four friends, one of them was my father and one of them was your father." Harry explained to the squirming child as he held up the aging piece of blank parchment. Little fingers grabbed hold of the corner of the map and pulled it out of Harry's hand.

_Careful. _The patient handwriting of Moony curled around Ted's fingers but went unnoticed by either Harry or the toddler.

"Prongs, Padfoot, Moony and even Wormtail were so much more than these mischief makers you know." Harry tickled the boy enough to get him to release the map.

"Moo!" Teddy squeaked at Harry.

"Moony. He was your dad, one of the best men I ever knew. I don't think the marauders could have known how important they would be the second war. Without them Teddy, maybe even without their map, we would have never won. These four men, these once in lifetime friends, all died saving me." Harry murmured more to himself than the toddler. Teddy stilled at Harry's musings and suddenly the little boy had one of his small hands patting Harry's cheek.

"Go. Go." Teddy tried to form the word good a few more times before burying his nose in Harry's shoulder. Harry ran his fingers through Teddy's lightening locks, the toddler seem to be growing bore of mimicking Harry's look.

"You don't understand any of this yet… but look at this Teddy," Harry urged as he tapped his wand against the map once and whispered the words to unlock it. As the ink spread to every corner of the parchment, Teddy Lupin watched with fixated glee.

"I present to you the marauder's map. A map that came about because your dad was a werewolf and his friends were clever enough to figure it out. See here, these two dots they are you and me." Harry pointed at two huddled dots with his wand. Teddy had relaxed against his chest and Harry knew the toddler was about to nod off again. Harry couldn't help the growing sense of dread as thoughts of a teenage Teddy Lupin wandering the grounds of Hogwarts began to form.

"I don't know much about how your dad or even my dad really used the map. But the first time I used it, I was standing right here. See, there are seven known secret passages from Hogwarts into Hogsmeade…" Harry began rubbing circles against Teddy's shoulders.

Harry told the stories of his years with the map until his voice was hoarse. As a godfather, Harry wasn't sure if he would ever tell the boy these stories again when he was old enough to understand or even remember them. Teddy's breathing had grown deeper and his head lolled uncontrolled across Harry's chest for only seconds before his godfather quickly tucked him into a cradle hold. Glancing down, Harry immediately noticed the familiar dot of Ginny Weasley floating towards him.

"...And leading up the Battle of Hogwarts, the one we're remembering today, I would use this map to watch a certain girl." Harry murmured.

"A certain girl?" Ginny smiled before crouching down and leaning over the map and sleeping Ted to kiss Harry. Teddy popped his thumb into his mouth and tugged at the map with his free hand gripping it like a blanket.

" You taste of fire whiskey." Harry whispered. He reached out to push back a strand of Ginny's red hair, tilting his forehead to touch hers as he inhaled sharply. Ginny pushed his glasses back up his nose before pulling back to rest on her heels.

"Teaching Teddy how to use the map a bit young, no?" Ginny quipped with one eyebrow raised in amusement. Harry frowned at the crumpled map.

"His dad was a marauder too…" Harry worked to carefully pull the aged parchment out of the toddler's fingers without waking him.

"McGonagall asked me to get you." Ginny stood upright, before reaching out to take the sleeping boy. Harry tapped his wand against the map once and muttered something under his breath before pressing his hand clumsily against the parchment in a poor attempt to work out the wrinkles.

"Will you give it to him, when he gets to Hogwarts?" Ginny asked quietly.

"The map? To Teddy?" Harry asked surprised through a yawn.

"It's been so important to you, to have a bit of your father." Ginny stated softly.

"But where Prongs would have been disappointed if I hadn't found all the secret passages out of the castle, I don't think Moony would approve of his son getting any magical mischief making aid. And I am beginning to think he won't need any aid." Harry pressed his hand nervously against the faint scar on his forehead. Ginny immediately tucked herself against his unprotected torso, distracting the young man from his worry. Harry reacted by stretching out his arm to wrap around Ginny and the sleeping Teddy. He spared one glance over his shoulder to the one eyed witch. Harry remembered Lupin, in his last moments as a professor, explaining how the marauders would have found the mischief amusing. The memory rang in his ears.

_And so we would have done. _And so they had done, Harry thought. And so they had.


	11. A Inspiration

**_In 2014… _**

_I've got a feeling he didn't give it to any of them, but that James sneaked it out of his father's desk one day._

- J.K Rowling, _Bloomsbury Web Chat from July 30, 2007_

* * *

_AU: For all the lovely notes from Idonotget, I decided to post this a couple of days earlier. Because in fact there is another leg to this story. It has been the most fun (well aside from the marauders bit, I do love those boys) _


	12. Solemnly Swear

It was the last night of the winter holidays and James Potter had been sent to bed early. Not in the pursuit of parental concern for getting ample rest, but rather in an act of parental scorn for perceived misbehavior. James kicked angrily at the wall and pushed his fisted up hands against his eyes in a desperate attempt to keep from crying over the unfairness of it all.

"Mum made jam roly-poly pudding." James groaned indignantly at the ceiling of his dark room. The fluttering of wings warned James before his Golden Masked Owl landed with a hoot onto his stomach.

"Snitch, he knows it's my favorite!" James whined to his owl. The owl hopped off of the boy's stomach and scooted up the bed to nip at his ear affectionately. But he remained unmoved in his misery and Snitch soon grew tire of trying to cheer him up. James took up kicking the wall again in the familiar rhythm of London Bridge until he heard the footsteps climbing up the stairs. He turned his head to stare at the crack of light under his door, watching as his younger sister danced past and then as his younger brother lingered. His heart began to thump and his breathing grew shallow as a burning desire to fly out of bed and jinx Albus overtook him. But Al must have sensed danger because his shadow jumped away before James managed to reach his wand.

Gripping his wand, James slid off his bed and curled his arms around his shins and plopped his chin on his knees. He sat glaring at his door for an hour, furious at his father for this injustice and hopeful his mother would sneak him pudding. At half past nine there was a small knock before the light flooded in from hallway. Ginny stood for a moment, the light glimmering off the messy knot of dark red hair and hitting the edge of her chin just enough to expose the remains of baking flour on her face. Her arms clutched around a large quilt, probably an extra blanket for Lily, and as James caught sight of his mother his breathing hitched.

"Oh Jimmy." Ginny sighed quietly as she stepped into the room, quickly shutting the door behind her. James blinked furiously trying to control his tears. His mother was the only person in the world allowed to call him Jimmy, and she had done it since he was a baby. With a grace and quickness left over from her Qudditch days, Ginny Potter was on the floor next to her son in seconds. She had an arm around the boy's scrawny shoulders and had dropped a kiss on the top of his head.

"Jimmy, what are we going to do with you?" She asked quietly. James swallowed once managing to refrain from actually crying.

"No pudding?" He asked pathetically trying to sound amused and nonchalant. A slight frown formed on her face as she pressed a thumb against his temple and pushed back a lock of his unruly black hair.

"James, your father sent you to bed hours ago."

"But Pops…" James began though catching his mother's stern face he quickly amended, "Dad knows it's my favorite!"

"He gave you quite a few warnings James and you didn't listen." Ginny tried patiently. James scowled at her logic before scooting closer to her.

"Pops has been cross since I got home, if he didn't want me home for the holidays…" James spoke in an excited quickness to get his mother on his side.

"James Potter! Of course your father wanted you home. He has missed you very much these past few months. We all have." Ginny scolded lightly. She doubted her eleven-year-old son would understand just how much he had been missed until he sent his own children to Hogwarts.

"Funny way of showing it. Being so cross with me. Treating me like a ruddy child." James grumbled. Ginny shook her head trying to not laugh at the child's predicament. Unfortunately, James' newly acquired freedoms of attending Hogwarts were rapidly quenched by his father's strict refusal to accept his son was growing up. A shared stubbornness between father and son had made the first year holidays rather unbearable for the rest of their family.

"Young man, you have been nothing but cheeky since you arrived. You are lucky you haven't spent every minute in this room. And then this incident with the broomstick…" Ginny trailed off as she pinned her son with a particularly furious glare. The boy finally began to fidget uncomfortably, a look of shame fluttering across his injured expression.

"Mum…" James whispered. "…Do you think he meant it? That he won't let me go back if I keep mouthing off?"

"Well, I don't know. Maybe you should be on your best behavior." Ginny smiled.

"Mum!" James cried loudly.

"I would also appreciate you being on your best behavior for the rest of the term, if I get another letter from school…. I might have to send your first howler." Ginny warned ominously. James lost the rosy color of anger from his cheeks and his eyes popped in terror but his mother just chuckled softly. She dropped another kiss onto her child's forehead before pushing up from the ground.

"Do be a good boy and get into bed?" She sighed softly, ruffling up his hair. James didn't budge as he watched his mother slip back into the bright hallway. He listened as his mother checked on his younger siblings and waited until the hallway light was turned off signaling his mother had retreated to her own bedroom.

He quickly stuck his wand behind his ear, in a way that would annoy his father the auror but he had seen Luna do countless times since childhood. Stretching his hand up to twist the doorknob, James quietly crawled down the now dark hallway and down the steps. He peeked into the empty but lit kitchen and knew immediately his father must have accompanied Teddy home. Two empty teacups remained on the table with a singular slice of untouched roly-poly pudding and before his own sense of guilt and remorse settled in his stomach, James dashed across the room. Shoving bits of dessert into his mouth greedily, James skipped to his father's office.

Lifting the door slightly to avoid the creaking noises it made when opened, James slipped in. A dying fire blazed in the fireplace near the door, while strange objects whizzed and whirled up on the high shelves behind the desk. Wisely poking at the fire a couple of times to reignite it, James sucked off the jam from his thumb before strutting over to the large plush desk chair. Jumping into it, James nosily made a show of making himself comfortable. He kicked up his sock-clad feet onto the desk and reached out with his sticky hand to a drawer handle. It was common knowledge among the Potter children that Harry always stocked this drawer with sweets.

Sweeping a nervous glance around the office, James smirked before pulling opened the drawer. The boy had never once touched anything in his father's office without Harry present. It was an unspoken rule, but James was so tired of his father's rules and days of rage against the man gave him courage. He fumbled around until finding his favorite sweet, a chocolate frog. He pulled it out and ripped it open, popping the whole frog into his mouth without hesitation. Instantly reaching into the drawer to pull out another before even emptying his puffing cheeks of the first.

Rummaging through the drawer for another familiar chocolate frog wrapper, his fingers caught onto a curled up moleskin pouch. James scratched his fingers against the bottom of the drawer, until he had a firm hold on the pouch. A light tug didn't release the pouch, so James pulled and a powerful jolt sent the boy and pouch flying around at once. His ankle slamming into the open drawer almost sent him tumbling into the ground, but the panic of being caught and the trouble of breaking everything in dad's office sparked just enough accidently magic to prevent disaster. James eyed the moleskin pouch suspiciously, wondering if it had been a trap set by his father. Ignoring his own curiosity in favor of self-preservation, James dropped the pouch back into the drawer with a thud. As he pushed it back, he noticed an aging blank parchment under the sweets.

_Sticky hands, why don't you take something useful? _A long slanted writing appeared just near James' index finger. James frowned at the parchment as he pulled it along the bottom of the drawer, collecting another chocolate frog as he shifted through all the sweets. Plucking his second frog from the drawer, James ripped open the wrapper and slowly began clomping on the head as he pulled his wand out from behind his ear. He poked his wand right between a cockroach cluster and a box of Bertie Botts the wand tip right where the writing still glimmered.

_Fancy all of Hogwarts at your sticky fingertips? _A tight and cramped script appeared underneath the first.

"Hogwarts?" James repeated confused. He started nervously jabbing the parchment.

_You shouldn't jab your wand like that. _A third script appeared in a neat cursive. A faint green glow hit the room and James slipped his wand between his forefinger and thumb as he clutched the parchment. Pulling it out with his wand hand and collecting the evidence of his raid with the other, the boy shoved everything under his shirt muttering a quick sticking charm to the parchment before tucking his wand back behind his ear. He managed to kick the drawer shut and rest his feet atop the desk, naturally before his father stepped out of the fireplace.

"James Sirius Potter, I swear I sent you to bed." Harry groaned tiredly. The man removed his traveling cloak, shaking out the ash once before flicking his wand once to send it back to it's hanging hook. Harry ran a hand through his thinning messy black hair once, dropping his hand to fix his skewed glasses before crossing his arms over the dark green jumper Grandma Weasley had knitted him last Christmas. James had watched his father in stubborn silence, until Harry fixed him with an expectant and exasperated look.

"You had tea with Teddy without me! And sent me to bed early my last night home when you aren't even going to the station tomorrow… I won't see you being cross at me for another six months!" James suddenly shouted at his father, curling his arms around his torso and digging himself further into the desk chair. Harry blinked, as all the strictness left his face, and just looked down at his son. Sitting with his chin tucked into his chest and his elbows sticking out, the boy looked so much younger than even eleven. Harry released a tense breath as he dropped his arms and took a step forward. James instinctively pushed further into the chair at his father's step forward and Harry immediately stopped.

"You have seen me cross plenty during our holidays." Harry smiled as he studied his son's stubborn posture shrouded in the darkness behind his own desk. Sighing, Harry swished his wand to beckon the chair out from behind the desk. James pulled his feet up, using his knees to further hide his face as the tiny rollers on the chair screeched around the office.

"I'm sorry I had to send you to bed, I hated not spending your last night together." Harry tried explaining calmly as he sat down with his knees pressed against his son's toes. James poked his head up, allowing his eyes to settle over his knees.

"Pops…" James mumbled.

"James." Harry sighed through gritted teeth. Harry hated when James called him Pops, a habit the boy had picked up around the age of six whenever he was particularly angry with his father or terribly guilty of some misdeed. After a weeklong war between father and son about the nickname, Ginny had intervened and told Harry to be the adult and stop overreacting.

"Pops," James repeated on purpose. "I didn't mean to blow up the broom."

"I know you didn't. But you need to think about the consequences of your pranks." Harry almost pleaded with the boy. He reached out and pulled on his son's feet, pulling him out of his curled position.

"But seeing as it was an accident, couldn't I get a new broom?" James ventured, casting down his eyes as he uttered his request. This had been the fight that had plagued Harry's holidays, ever since James had blown up that cursed broom on the first night back from school.

"James." Harry chastised. In his eleven years as a father, Harry had never loathed a conversation more than the one about this broom. "You purposefully tried to send your brother flying on a broom that would blow up."

"Well Al was being…" James began perking up to tell his side of the story, yet again. But Harry glared at the boy and he immediately changed course. "Teddy just convinced Wyatt, the captain of the Gryffindor Qudditch team, to let me practice with them! I won't have my own broom." James finished lamely. Harry had heard about this, as just hours before his godson had pleaded his son's case during tea.

"You will just have to use the school brooms, I know they have some." Harry leaned forward and caught a crumb of jam on his son's cheek. "I see you found the slice of mum's roly-poly pudding I had planned on bringing up."

James suddenly yawned and rubbed at his eyes. "I am sorry about all the shouting."

Harry chuckled as he pushed the boy out of the chair. The man led his son through the house quietly, and before James knew what was happening he had been tucked into bed. Harry pulled the wand from behind his son's ear and put it on the night table. James let his eyes close and was half asleep when his father whispered to him.

"You know not to keep that wand behind your ear…Do try to stay out of trouble? Maybe we'll see about a new broom if you do well enough at end of term."

"Really?" James popped one eye open and yawned again. Harry smiled in the darkness and kissed the boy on the forehead once.

"Keep getting detentions and we won't see." He warned. "Night James."

"Night Dad." James whispered, asleep again even before Harry left the room.

It wasn't until the grayish color of winter mornings streamed through the window and a sleeping James wrestled with his sheets to turn away from the intruding light that a sharp corner of the parchment jabbed into his gut. James cursed into his pillow and made whining noises, as every movement now pierced his skin. Finally, he sat up, keeping his eyes closed as he groped around the bed looking for the offending object. His hand found an empty crinkling chocolate frog wrapper with a trading card still inside. James groggily scratched at his belly, as his fingers hit the parchment under his shirt the boy's eyes flew open.

He flailed around his bed, trying to untangle his legs from the sheets as he leaned to the side to collect his wand. Stretching too far forward, the boy tumbled out of bed with one hand gripping his wand and his right foot still wrapped in one of his sheets. Landing with a thump, James mumbled the unsticking charm to release the parchment from his stomach. He pushed it under his sheet just in time to see his father's head poke into the room.

"All right James?" Harry laughed.

"Yeah, just… bloody sheets." James muttered darkly.

"Well, if you can't get back to sleep. You can have breakfast with me." Harry suggested nonchalantly smiling at the mess of boy and sheets and what looked suspiciously like a chocolate frog wrapper on the floor.

"Just us?" James glanced up excitedly.

"I even promise to not be cross, if you keep the mouth in check?" Harry bargained. James nodded quickly and Harry winked as he pulled the door shut again. James pulled the parchment out and pointed his wand at it determinedly.

"What are you?" He demanded.

_Bloody little prat, sleep on top of us and now wakes us before dawn! _The cramp writing sprawled across the entire space, large enough to give James the impression the parchment was shouting at him.

_Go back to bloody bed. _ The long slanted writing, wrote over bloody little prat.

_They don't take well to early mornings. _The neat cursive explained.

_Or threats really. _A squat writing appeared near the edge of the others. James ran his entire arm over his eyes, trying to work out the sleep before staring at the talking parchment again. He eyed it guilty, knowing he had only taken it to spite his father. The boy was suddenly struck with the idea that if it was in his father's office, it might be a dangerous dark object.

"Maybe I should put you back, no good will come of you." James mumbled at the parchment. The first set of writing cleared for only a second before the four scripts invaded it again, in every direction.

_Don't you want to stay out of detentions? _The squat writing asked.

_Mate, when the sun is up, we could be the best thing that's… _The slanted script began.

_You spend ages in a drawer only to be rescued by sticky fingers and see how you feel! _The cramped writing complained.

_Forgive us; we would really like to get back to Hogwarts. _The neat cursive wrote over the complainants of the cramped script.

"Us?" James frowned, as he started tapping impatiently at the parchment.

_Mister Prongs would really like for the bloody little prat to stop tapping._

_Mister Moony would like Prongs to stop insulting the new marauder in training! _

_Mister Wormtail recommends a good cleaning spell for the sticky fingers. _

_Mister Padfoot would find it lovely to be asleep again and begrudgingly presents, before dawn, the marauders._

James didn't know if he should be insulted or intrigued by the parchment. Clutching it carefully, he turned it in his hand and examined the blank opposite side.

_Still here mate. _Prongs mocked. Frowning James turned it back to the side with the introductions and repeated the names.

"Prongs, Moony, Wormtail and Padfoot…" He said slowly, realizing he had heard the names before somewhere. James could hear the teakettle somewhere below and knew he father would think he fell back asleep. He took a deep breath, his moment of deliberation, before reaching out to his school trunk and shoving the parchment unceremoniously between his school robes and pajamas.

Nearly three weeks later, James lay alone in his dormitory. One leg bent comfortably as the other leg rested on one of the four posters, his toe pressing in and out of the tiny indent just high enough for his outstretched toes to reach. His untidy black hair was resting on the bunched up sheets at the foot of his bed as he lazily floated his wand over his nose, maintaining the aging parchment hovering over his eyes.

"Look, I've heard of you blokes before… but I don't know who Fawn is!" James muttered up at the parchment.

_Padfoot, stop calling him that! _Prongs demanded yet again.

_Never started calling him anything else. Never bothered to talk to us. _Padfoot argued.

_Were we in Filch's office all this time? _Wormtail wondered.

_What does that matter? Dark drawers are all the same dull. _Padfoot cramped around Wormtail's script.

James watched as the four marauders argued amongst themselves, silently penning insults and inquiries. In the weeks since nicking it, James was no closer to realizing what exactly the parchment was besides a rather animated conversation.

"Why would dad even keep you?" James mumbled as he used the tip of his wand to trace along the oddly familiar script of Prongs. The door to the dormitory swung open and James automatically elevated the floating parchment to be out of sight against the canopy of his bed. Three footsteps and a distinct tripping noise later, James didn't even bother to turn his head to see who had entered.

"Caught yourself before you hit the floor this time Teddy?" James asked lazily, twirling his wand between his fingers.

Teddy Lupin stormed to the foot of the bed and leaned forward to drop the back of his hand against James' forehead. James immediately slapped his hand away and frowned up at Teddy. The fifth year is dressed pristinely, his robes perfectly pressed with his glittering Prefect badge pinned neatly near his heart and his tie in one of those fancy knots that gives James a headache just looking at it.

Teddy snapped his hand back at the slap and examined the younger boy with just his eyes. James was dressed in pair of his oldest and ripped up jeans, paired with a button up sleep shirt. A discarded school robe was on the floor near the head of the bed where James had a bare toe, bent into a tiny crevice of the poster. Teddy swept his gaze back up the messy bed and noticed a two-toned single purple pill resting next to the boy's elbow. Teddy dove forward and James didn't have time to react before the pill was confiscated.

"Is this a puking pastille?" Teddy demanded as he fought to push James back down.

"Give it back!" James shouted sending a fist into Teddy's gut. Teddy grunted and glared down at the boy for a moment before hitting him with a full body bind jinx.

"NOT FAIR!" James roared as he unsuccessfully thrashed against the jinx.

"No, probably not but much easier. What are you doing skiving off lessons? I have half a mind to give you a detention for even having this…" Teddy demanded as sat down on the footrest of the bed. Before James could make to answer though, the floating parchment drifted onto his head as his wand had been dropped and he had no longer been maintaining the spell.

"What's this?" Teddy laughed, pulling the parchment from James' face.

"Come on Ted, let me out of this jinx." James whined. Teddy wasn't paying him any attention as his eyes moved across the parchment and read every word.

"Where did you get this?" Teddy demanded. James rolled his eyes up to stare at the way Teddy's face had paled, his dark eyes furrowed under the dark eyebrows he had been sporting since the beginning of term.

"I'll tell you if you let me out of this jinx." James bargained. Teddy ran a nervous hand through his dark brown hair with streaks of auburn, which James swore was a look adopted from some muggle band the fourth year Giselle Wright admired.

"Padfoot…Padfoot?" Teddy repeated in a whisper.

"Have you heard of them?" James asked excitedly.

"Them?" Teddy dropped the parchment and muttered the counter jinx. James flung his feet around and sat perched on the edge of his bed.

"Prongs, Padfoot, Moony and Wormtail?" James repeated the names eagerly.

"Moony?" Teddy repeated the one name. "The Marauders?"

"I can't remember where I've heard the names before, the marauders… so familiar. I've been meaning to ask you but you've been so caught up with all your studying!" James waved his arms around as he paced the length of the room. Teddy scratched his nose and reached into one of his robe pockets to pull out a wrapped chocolate frog. Pulling the wrapper open with his teeth and using the wrapper to push the whole frog into his mouth. Out of habit, he pulled the trading card out.

A pale man with graying hair and premature lines on his handsome face stared up from the card. Teddy smiled at his father. He flipped the card around to read the familiar story.

Remus John Lupin. Afflicted with lycanthropy, Lupin is the first werewolf to be awarded order of Merlin, first class for his bravery and sacrifice during the second wizarding war against dark wizard Voldemort. Most famous for being a member of the Order of the Phoenix, fighting in the Battle of Hogwarts, and teaching Harry Potter how to produce a Patronus.

"Got your dad again? I got my dad this morning." James stated distractedly as he ducked down to pick up the parchment.

"I think we might eat too many chocolate frogs," Teddy grumbled flipping the card back around to stare at his father's face again. "Wait! Wait a minute… MOONY! Moony is my father!"

"Um, mate… I know I hit you kind of hard there before you jinxed me, but…" James had begun to fold up the parchment.

"No, no… I know this. You do too, that's why the names sound so familiar. Harry use to tell us these stories…" Teddy started slowly, trying to remember.

"Well, I nicked it out of Dad's desk," James shrugged. Teddy snapped his head up to stare at James amazed.

"You don't want a new broom then?" Teddy smirked.

"Pops won't notice." James stated bravely. Teddy chuckled, as he had never known his godfather to not notice something. Harry was, after all, a very good auror.

"Is this why you skived off lessons today? To sit and stare at this bickering old piece of parchment." Teddy sighed as he held out his hand for the parchment. James shook his head and clutched the item to his chest.

"Don't go being all Teddy the Prefect about it!" James whined. "They promised to help me stay out of trouble."

"You could do that on your own. " Teddy rolled his eyes.

"Stop being such a twat." James grumbled. "Not like you didn't get a detention just last week for sloppy potions work."

"Would a twat convince his friend, the captain of the Qudditch team, to let a certain ungrateful first year practice with them?" Teddy shoot back.

"Qudditch practice!" James jumped and dropped the folded parchment. He went scrambling around the room trying to find his trainers. Teddy levitated the parchment back into his hands, tucking his ninth Lupin trading card in his pocket. He tapped his wand against it and muttered softly enough for James not to hear.

"Moony?"

_Yes? _A neat cursive appeared next to the tip of his wand.

_Where'd sticky fingers go? _ The long slanted script demanded.

_How do you know Moony? _The cramped script added.

_And do you know Fawn? _The squat script wrote to the left of his wand.

_Wormtail, Stop calling him that! We are not calling my kid a fawn. _

"Your kid?" Teddy repeated. "Harry? Prongs… Prongs is James!"

"Stop being a prat! I would know if I was Prongs." James huffed as pulled on a jumper and his hair shot out in every direction.

"Not you!" Teddy stated impatiently. James held out one hand for the parchment as the other hand shot up to mess up his hair in a more distinctive way.

"Give it." He beckoned.

"Can I see it, I mean keep it while you're at practice?" Teddy stood up, towering over the short James Potter. The boys were friends, practically brothers, and James realized the desperate hope in Teddy's voice. He nodded curtly and spun on his heel to run out of the dormitory. Teddy heaved a sigh of relief he hadn't had to fight the quick-tempered James for the aged parchment of his father. He hurried out of the first year Gryffindor dormitory and climbed the stairs to find his own dormitory. It was still early enough in the evening that the others wouldn't have come up to bed.

Settling on the window seat of his dormitory, Teddy Lupin glanced down at the Qudditch pitch visible from Gryffindor tower. He could just make out the smallest figure, zooming up into the sky on a rickety old comet. James was a natural at flying; Teddy had never in his five years at Hogwarts ever seen anyone else on the team fly quite like little James Potter. Teddy had even heard Headmistress McGonagall mumbling about it being in his blood, just like his father and grandfather. His grandfather, Teddy stared down at the now blank parchment again.

"I swear no good will come from you." Teddy poked the parchment in his lap.

_How do you swear? _Prongs asked.

_Will you be doing the no good? _Padfoot prompted.

_Almost all the right words, just a few more. _Moony encouraged.

"So Prongs is James Potter, the first. And Moony, is my dad Remus Lupin." Teddy traced his wand around the cursive writing of his father. He didn't understand how his father could be in the parchment, but he had no doubt it was his dad writing in the neat cursive script.

_Moony had a cub! _Wormtail exclaimed.

_Or a starling, moons don't have cubs they have stars. _Padfoot added.

_A starling? _The script had extra flourishes leading Teddy to believe his father was amused.

_What do you mean by James Potter the first? _Prongs added.

"Ah well, what is it you called him… sticky fingers? That's James Potter the second." Teddy explained to the parchment. He darted his eyes to the door as he waited for the marauders to write out their response, feeling strange talking out loud to no one.

_But he isn't mine? _Prongs asked. Teddy stared at the question, confused and unsure how to address his own growing questions.

"No, he is Harry's son." Teddy dug into his pocket to find another chocolate frog. He made a mental note to buy loads of the sweets the next Hogsmeade weekend, between his OWLs and the marauders he was going to need the chocolate.

_Fawn had a fawn? _Padfoot asked.

_Look here starling, if I explain how to cast the proper spells to write Padfoot out… _Prongs began.

_Sod off Prongs! _Padfoot began to scribble over Prongs script.

"What kind of magic is this?" Teddy murmured as he flipped the parchment around in his hands.

_We aren't just a bickering piece of parchment. _Moony explained on what Teddy was sure was the backside. Although it was possible the parchment didn't have a back.

_What he's saying is that usually, we're not the main attraction. _Prongs explained.

"But what are you?" Teddy prodded at the parchment and tried muttering a few revealing charms he had learned just this week.

_Those won't work. _Wormtail's squat script followed each point of Teddy's wand.

_More interested in us than the mysteries of our map, how very Moony of you. _Padfoot mocked.

"A map?" Teddy pressed his fingers against the corners of the parchment, trying to feel for layers pressed together. A set of heavy footsteps warned Teddy of company, as the parchment cleared he shoved it into his robes and stretched out of his sitting position. A tall black boy with curly hair and a wide grin came strolling in with a burly boy with cheeks rosy from the winter breeze.

"Ted." The taller boy nodded.

"Jack, Alec." Teddy greeted.

"Finish that Herbology work yet? I couldn't believe it when Professor Longbottom assigned three rolls on Wolfsbane." Alec asked as he pulled off his school tie.

"Not to mention all of the potions work for Professor Breen." Jack complained.

"We're heading to the library, if you want to study?" Alec reached into his school trunk for a box of Bertie Botts. Teddy shook his head and swallowed, he had completely forgotten about all his homework.

"No, I think I'm going to do my work in the common room." Teddy muttered sadly. He had no desire to spend the rest of his night pouring over the extremely dull textbook on Magical Plants.

It was near midnight before the portrait hole swung open and James flew in, sitting on one of the school's comets. Teddy startled awake and sent his Herbology scroll clanking down his leg. The Gryffindor common room had completely emptied out and Teddy rubbed his palms against his eyes a couple of times before sitting up and starring at James.

"Merlin's beard, did you ride a broom up here?" Teddy finally croaked.

"Hagrid told me off for being out on the pitch past curfew, gave me a detention and everything! Hagrid! You know he's going to write to Pops. Marched me up to the castle, without letting me put away the last broom. See Wyatt was mad at me because I caught the snitch during practice before Sullivan, our actual seeker. So he made me stay afterwards to clean up by myself, something about learning my place." James explained as he practically buzzed with excitement.

"So you rode the broom up here?" Teddy pressed all of his fingers against his temples as he stared at the hovering comet.

"Hagrid already gave me a detention, I knew I could avoid Beasley if I flew up." James ran his hands through his hair and perched onto the broom zipping over to one of the empty chairs by the fire. Teddy kicked out and shoved James.

"Don't go pissing around with Wyatt, he'll be cross with me." Teddy yawned.

"What'd you find out from the marauders? Or were you too busy swotting Herbology?" James scoffed as he picked up the textbook by one of the covers. Teddy ignored his teasing and pulled out the parchment from his cloak, tugging at the still tight tie knot. He pressed the parchment flat against the table, near his books.

"Prongs is your grandfather, Moony is my father. Padfoot is Sirius Black, your dad's godfather and Wormtail is Peter Pettigrew." Teddy explained.

"The marauders…that explains why we know them." James yawned and rested his head against his arm.

"Padfoot said something about it being a map… but I can't figure out how…" Teddy had his wand flat against the parchment, resting under his hand.

"A map could be useful, but what makes that so special?" James asked. The parchment remained blank.

"I swear no good…" Teddy muttered. The words sparked life in the parchment again.

_Do you solemnly swear? _Wormtail asked.

_Might you be up to no good? _Padfoot added.

"I don't care about your hints! I want to know how it is that my dad can talk to me!" Teddy hissed at the parchment.

_Just because you figure it out doesn't mean we'll stop talking, mate. _Prongs consoled.

_We never stop talking, starling. _Padfoot added.

_So I'm dead? _Moony asked. Teddy read the last question out loud and James jerked awake and dropped down to the floor to point his wand at the parchment.

"Careful Teddy, we don't really know what it is." James said unnaturally alert.

_I'm not really your father, well not yet nor will I ever be. I'm your father at seventeen, forever seventeen. We wanted to live forever. _Moony explained.

_Gents, remember to clear it by saying Mischief Managed. _Padfoot advised.

_Little Prongs point and say I solemnly swear I am up to no good. _Prongs commanded.

_We'll still be here afterwards, but you should see. _Wormtail managed to say before James uncharacteristically followed Prongs' command.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good." James spat. The script dripped and ink started dancing in every direction as the Marauder's Map formed.

"Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, _Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers _are proud to present the Marauder's Map." Teddy recited.


End file.
